CGL Norfolk Alcohol and Drug Behavioural Change Service

Updated 21 October 2022

Change Grow Live Norfolk operates a hub and spoke model. The Norfolk services are across four bases, the main base being Norwich and there are three further hubs at Great Yarmouth, Kings Lynn and Thetford. The hub sites are strategically planned to maximise the geographical region where the service is provided and ensure accessibility for clients.

The service is available to anyone with a drug or alcohol issue over the age of 18 years. The service delivers a range of interventions including initial advice, assessment and harm reduction services including; needle exchange, prescribed medicines for alcohol and opiate detoxification and stabilisation, naloxone dispensing, group recovery programmes, one-to-one key working sessions, blood borne virus testing and vaccination and doctor and nurse clinics which included health checks. The service also offers hospital liaison, collaborative working with the criminal justice service, homeless outreach and integrated support with the local authority’s children’s social care services.

Change Grow Live Norfolk is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide the following regulated activity:

• Treatment of disease disorder or injury as a regulated activity.

The service opened in April 2018 and the Registered Manager left at the end of March 2022. At the time of the inspection, the service had an interim manager. The service was in the process of recruiting a new manager.

and the current registered manager has been in post since June 2018.

The service was most recently inspected in October 2021. This inspection found the service was in breach of:

• Regulation 12: Safe care and treatment;
• Regulation 15: Premises and equipment;
• Regulation 17: Good governance.

Following the inspection, the Commission served the provider with a Section 29 Warning Notice because the quality of health care provided required significant improvement.

Updated 21 October 2022

Change Grow Live Norfolk Alcohol and Drug Behavioural Change Service is part of a national Change Grow Live provider who provide a not-for-profit drug and alcohol treatment service. The Norfolk location has been delivering a service since April 2018.

We carried out an unannounced focussed visit to Change Grow Live Norwich on 17 May 2022 and an announced visit on 9 June 2022.

The aim of this focussed inspection was to review the breaches in regulation identified following our most recent inspection in October 2021, which were contained in the warning notice. These breaches identified under the safe, effective and well-led domains.

During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate in the Well led key question. As a result of this, the imposed conditions have now been removed. The requires improvement ratings for Safe and Effective key questions remain unchanged. Our rating of this location stayed the same. We rated it as requires improvement because:

• Since the previous inspection there had been improvements made to the governance structure and an action plan had been implemented to address the issues found at the previous inspection. However, whilst we saw improved mechanisms for capturing and monitoring information had been introduced, actions had not always been taken as a result.
• Managers had not always ensured that drug testing had taken place in line with the service’s policy. Staff had missed opportunities to resolve this issue at face-to-face appointments.
• Managers had not ensured that clients always had timely access to medical reviews.
• Managers had not ensured that all staff had access to supervision.

However:

• Staff had ensured that clinical environment and equipment audits had been completed and were up to date.
• Service user plans reviewed were comprehensive, personalised, holistic and recovery orientated.
• Staff had completed comprehensive risk assessments and updated these regularly.
• Managers ensured staff were up to date with appraisals.

Updated 21 October 2022