We are With You - Shropshire

Updated 23 May 2022

We Are With You are a national charity who provide a range of services for adults and young people. They work with adults and young people in community settings, prisons and residential rehabilitation. We Are With You Shropshire offer information, advice and support for adults and young people with drug and alcohol issues. The service is based in Shrewsbury but offers services from a hub in Oswestry, and outreach clinics across other areas across the county. The service is split into three teams: North, Central and South of the county.

We Are With You Shropshire delivers clinical services such as substitute prescribing, needle exchange, blood borne virus testing and vaccinations for hepatitis.

The service is commissioned through the local authority and is free for people to use.

We last inspected the service in March 2019. It was rated as good and there were no requirement notices. There is a registered manager.

What people who use the service say

We spoke with 12 clients. They had been with the service from a few months, up to a number of years. All 12 were complimentary about the service, saying it had helped them and staff were skilled, caring and compassionate. All of the people we spoke with said they would recommend the service to others. They all described group work and individual sessions as being a positive experience and gave examples of when staff had helped them with other aspects of their life, not just their addiction. They all said that the service was there for them when they needed it and were responsive when they were in a crisis or needed to speak with staff unexpectedly. People said staff did not judge them and treated them well, and as individuals.

Updated 23 May 2022

Our rating of this service stayed the same. We rated it as good because:

• The service provided safe care. The premises where clients were seen were safe and clean. The number of clients on the caseload of the teams, and of individual members of staff, was manageable and staff were able to give each client the time they needed. Staff assessed and managed risk well and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.
• Staff developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the clients and in line with national guidance about best practice. Staff engaged in clinical audit to evaluate the quality of care they provided.
• The teams included the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of clients under their care. Managers ensured that these staff received training, supervision and appraisal. Staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team.
• Staff treated clients with compassion, kindness and respect. They understood the individual needs of clients and actively involved them in decisions about care planning, focusing on client’s skills and strengths, providing them with the knowledge, skills and tools to lead healthy lives. Staff worked proactively with other services, agencies and third sector organisations that would aid their recovery and health and wellbeing.
• The service was easy to access. Staff responded to referrals quickly and assessed and planned care planned well. They met the needs of the people who used the service and their criteria did not exclude people who would benefit.
• The service was well led, and the governance processes ensured that its procedures ran smoothly.

However:

• The building in Shrewsbury was uninviting and in need of some decoration, however it was temporary, and the service planned to move to new premises this year.

Updated 23 May 2022