The OAD Clinic

Updated 18 September 2023

The OAD Clinic provides a community-based drug and alcohol recovery service, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder assessment and treatment, and low-level mental health support. The provider took over the service in July 2016. The service provides clinical treatment to clients based throughout the UK. The service provides a range of treatments that include opiate substitute prescribing, including injectible medicines, either as maintenance or as part of a gradual reduction programme leading to abstinence. The service also provides alcohol relapse prevention. The service does not provide community-based detoxification services, but they advise patients of other services available to meet their needs if required. The service offers one-to-one support, and online appointments for patients to discuss progress with their treatment and to check on their wellbeing.

The service had a caseload of 222 clients at the time of inspection. Clients were self-funded but the service could accept referrals from the NHS. The service had a registered manager in place (the medical director) and was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) since July 2016. The service is registered by the CQC to provide treatment of disease, disorder or injury, surgical procedures, and diagnostic and screening procedures.

At the previous inspection in 2019 the service was rated good in all areas.

Updated 18 September 2023

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

• Feedback from clients we spoke with was full of praise for the staff at the service. Clients felt listened to, and appropriately supported and said that the service was very flexible in meeting their needs.
• Staff managed clients’ risks safely and effectively. Staff carried out appropriate physical health checks on clients. Client records addressed potential safeguarding risks and the risk of early exit from the treatment programme.
• Significant work had been undertaken to reduce the prescriptions of patients who had previously been on very high doses. Medical staff followed best practice guidance when prescribing medicines for clients.
• Staff provided appropriate care and treatment interventions suitable for clients’ recovery. Interventions addressed reducing harmful or risky behaviours associated with the misuse of drugs, optimising personal physical and mental wellbeing, and achieving personal goals.
• The staff team was very motivated, appropriately knowledgeable, and qualified. Staff were supported by managers and reported being able to speak up and contribute to the development of the service. They received regular supervision and had opportunities for professional development.
• The service environment was clean, well maintained, comfortably furnished and welcoming, with appropriate equipment in place.
• The introduction of quality dashboards for managers to monitor performance within the service was very positive in ensuring a high quality of care for clients.
• The introduction of the role of medical secretaries was having a positive impact on the service, allowing care coordinators more time on clinical work such as client contact and care planning.

However:

• Arrangements were not formalised for reviewing the limits of the service’s threshold for managing clients with complex needs. However, we did not find any clients with needs that the service could not support.
• There was no clear protocol in place for looking at possible learning following the deaths of patients using the service.
• Induction training for new staff and the content of weekly team meetings was not recorded at the time of the inspection.
• Some older clients found it challenging to manage the stairs at the service, although they said that they were supported to do so.

Updated 14 May 2019

Updated 18 September 2023

See above summary