The Recovery Lodge

Updated 28 September 2018

The Recovery Lodge is a medically monitored, detoxification and rehabilitation centre based in Kent. The service offers treatment for drug and alcohol addictions as well as maladaptive behaviours such as gambling addiction.

The Recovery Lodge provides ongoing abstinence based treatment, with a focus on the 12-step programme. The service accepted self-referrals and referrals from professionals for both males and females, over the age of 18 years. Clients’ treatment was privately funded or paid via insurance.

The Recovery Lodge was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on the 14 January 2016 to provide accommodation for persons who require treatment for substance misuse. At the time of the inspection, the service had a registered manager and nominated individual.

The Recovery Lodge was first inspected on 27 and 28 February 2017. Following that inspection, we found the provider to be in breach of regulation 12, safe care and treatment and regulation 18, staffing. We told the provider they must take the following actions:

• The service must ensure that all staff complete level two safeguarding training.
• The service must ensure that all staff complete all mandatory training within a reasonable timescale.
• The service must ensure that they use formal assessment tools recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance CG115 to assess the nature and severity of alcohol misuse and as per their detox protocol.
• The service must ensure that risk assessments capture all relevant information including how staff will mitigate any identified risks.
• The service must document all physical interventions for clients including taking blood glucose levels.

Following the comprehensive inspection on 26 July 2018, we found the provider had taken appropriate action to mitigate risks associate with regulation 18, staffing. However, the provider needed to make further improvements in respect of regulation 12, safe care and treatment and a requirement notice was issued. Further details can be found within the report.

Updated 28 September 2018

We rated The Recovery Lodge as good because:

The Recovery Lodge had made some improvements following our last inspection. This included the way they assessed clients alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Recovery Lodge was well maintained and cleaned to a high standard.

Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities and took appropriate measures to safeguard clients from avoidable harm and/or abuse.

Treatment was effective and complied with national guidance on the use of medicine to treat alcohol and drug use. Psychosocial interventions as recommended by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence were facilitated by skiled staff.

Staff assessed clients’ needs and care and treatment was delivered in line with legislation and evidence based practice. Each client had a clear treatment pathway, with a focus on recovery and discharge planning.

Care plans considered the client’s views and considered their physical and mental health needs as well as their social needs. They were person-centred with a focus on recovery. However, they varied in the detail recorded.

Staff had the skills and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.

Staff treated clients with compassion, dignity and respect. Clients spoke extremely positively about their care and treatment at the service.

The Recovery Lodge was responsive and met clients needs. The facilitis and premises were appropriate for the service delivered. Care was accessible, planned and coordinated. Care and treatment was deleivered in a way that met the needs of the individuals using the service. Complaints were responded to in a timely way and used to implement positive changes.

Staff supported and encouraged clients to develop and maintain relationships with people who mattered to them. Clients were supported to take part in activities that were socially and culturally relevant and important to them.

The Recovery Lodge was well-led. Leaders were competent and capable and experienced in substance misuse. They promoted an open and fair culture at the service.

The service ahd a clears set of values and vision. Plans were in place to ensure high quality care could be delieverd.

Morale amongst staff was very high. Staff felt proud and valued to work at the service. Relationship smaongst staff were strong and supportive.

There were clear systems, role and responsibilities to support good governance and and management. The service continually looked to find ways they could improve and learn.

However:

Care and treatment was not routinely delivered in a safe way. The service did not always adhere to their own exclusion criteria. This meant clients could have been admitted whose needs were above those the service could safely manage.

Medicines were not always administered safely. Records of administration on medicine charts were inconsistent and not in line with the providers policy. Staff did not clearly document the doses of medicines they administered. Medicines that were no longer in use were not crossed off the medicine charts. Prescribing of medicines was incorrectly recorded on an administration record.

Physical health was not always monitored in a way that recognised or responded to signs of deterioration. 

Updated 28 September 2018