Archived: Long Yard

Updated 13 May 2016

Long Yard is registered with the CQC to provide accommodation for up to 16 clients over 18 years who require treatment for substance misuse. The service provides a medically monitored residential alcohol withdrawal treatment programme over a period of up to three weeks. The provider has a contract with doctors at a local GP practice who assess the suitability of new referrals to the service and plan and monitor their medical treatment. At the time of the inspection the service was providing rehabilitation for up to 12 weeks for clients who had already completed an alcohol withdrawal programme either at Long Yard or another service. Staff at the service provided individual support to clients and arrange therapeutic groups and rehabilitation activities.

In most instances, clients are referred to Long Yard by local authority substance misuse teams. At the time of this inspection in January 2016, five clients were using the service for supervised alcohol withdrawal and five clients were using it for rehabilitation.

Long Yard has a registered manager who has been in post for over two years. The service was last inspected in March 2014 and was found to meet all the regulations checked at that time.

Updated 13 May 2016

We carried out a focused inspection of Long Yard on 25 and 27 January 2016. The inspection checked the safety and effectiveness of the service.

Some aspects of the service were not safe. Risk management plans and care plans were not always comprehensive and clients were at risk of not having all their needs met. Staff did not consistently administer medicines safely. Staff had not always kept accurate records in relation to clients’ medicines. Staff had not ensured that medicines were always stored at the correct temperature. The provider did not have robust arrangements to ensure prescriptions pads were kept securely and there was a risk they could be misused. Staff made observations on clients’ health during alcohol withdrawal. However, staff had not always recorded how decisions about the type and frequency of observations had been made. Clients were at risk of not being observed at the appropriate level to identify risks to their health at the earliest possible stage. Since the inspection, the provider has ensured any discussion staff hold with the contracted doctor about observations are always recorded.

A suitably qualified contracted doctor assessed the medical needs of clients referred to the service and provided appropriate treatment and medical monitoring of clients which complied with NICE guidance. The provider had begun to take action to improve the accuracy and thoroughness of record-keeping but some further improvements were required. Staff were appropriately trained and supervised in relation to working with people undergoing alcohol withdrawal treatment.