T H O M A S Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation Unit

Updated 19 July 2022

T.H.O.M.A.S Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Unit is a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation unit based in Blackburn, Lancashire. The service has 21 beds and provides residential psychosocial rehabilitation to men over the age of 18. The service is provided by the T.H.O.M.A.S (Those On The Margins of Society) organisation. The service provides a three to six-month rehabilitation programme depending upon the needs and funding of each client.

The service does not offer inpatient detoxification from alcohol or illicit substances but does accept clients under community detoxification programmes when this is overseen by an external medical professional. The service has been registered with the Care Quality Commission since March 2015. The service was last inspected in July 2019 and rated good.

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

What people who use the service say

We spoke with 11 clients resident at the time of our inspection. Client feedback was positive. Clients described staff as kind, considerate and caring. They reported that staff respected their privacy and dignity. Clients we spoke with felt they were involved in decisions about their care and were positive about the benefits of the treatment they were receiving. They felt that staff understood their needs and worked with them to address them. Clients were able to describe their treatment goals and the actions that both they and staff were taking to help meet them.

Updated 19 July 2022

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

• The service provided safe care. The premises were safe and clean. The service had enough staff. Staff assessed and managed risk well and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.
• Staff developed holistic, recovery-orientated care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They provided care and treatment suitable to the needs of the clients and in line with national guidance and best practice.
• Staff treated clients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity and understood their individual needs. Staff actively involved clients in their care.
• Managers ensured staff received training and supervision. Staff worked well together as a team and with relevant services outside of the organisation.
• Staff planned and manged admission and discharge well.
• The service was well led. Governance processes ensured that quality and performance was monitored, incidents and complaints were investigated, and learning was disseminated to staff.

However:

• The service did not have a Mental Capacity Act policy. Although, staff were aware of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and the processes to follow in regard to concerns over a client’s mental capacity
• The service was still establishing its full range of community engagement and volunteer opportunities following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Updated 19 July 2022

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

• The service provided safe care. The premises were safe and clean. The service had enough staff. Staff assessed and managed risk well and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.
• Staff developed holistic, recovery-orientated care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They provided care and treatment suitable to the needs of the clients and in line with national guidance and best practice.
• Staff treated clients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity and understood their individual needs. Staff actively involved clients in their care.
• Managers ensured staff received training and supervision. Staff worked well together as a team and with relevant services outside of the organisation.
• Staff planned and manged admission and discharge well.
• The service was well led. Governance processes ensured that quality and performance was monitored, incidents and complaints were investigated, and learning was disseminated to staff.

However:

• The service did not have a Mental Capacity Act policy. Although, staff were aware of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and the processes to follow in regard to concerns over a client’s mental capacity
• The service was still establishing its full range of community engagement and volunteer opportunities following the COVID-19 pandemic.