A MAJOR drugs and alcohol rehabilitation service in Solihull has been rated ‘Inadequate’ and unsafe by a national watchdog.
A damning report into Clarity House has been published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection in June.
The NHS is involved it the service, which has received charity funding.
Unconfirmed reports are that the service at Clarity House, based at Larch Croft, Chelmsley Wood, has shut its doors amid the problems.
It provides accommodation for adults who require treatment for substance misuse.
Clarity House is run by Changes UK, an addiction recovery services provider.
Changes UK is based in Digbeth, Birmingham, and operates it services from other locations.
Clarity House works in partnership with Solihull Integrated Addiction Services (SIAS) which refers clients. SIAS includes Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.
The CQC report’s overall summary states:
• The service was not well led, and the governance processes did not ensure that procedures ran smoothly.
• The service did not provide safe care. The service did not have enough adequately trained or experienced staff. Staff did not assess and manage client’s risk or follow good practice with respect to safeguarding. The service did not control infection risk. The premises were not safe or well maintained.
• Managers did not ensure that staff received training, supervision and appraisal.
• The service did not support clients’ privacy and dignity, the female bathroom, was the thoroughfare between the two sides of the building, and there was no female only lounge. Clients on occasions had to share single gender bedrooms.
• The service did not store medicines safely. Staff had not had training to administer emergency medicines held on the premises.
However, it also states:
• Staff treated clients with compassion and kindness and understood the individual needs of clients. They actively involved clients in decisions around their therapeutic care and provided a range of therapies suitable to their needs.
• Staff worked effectively with the community and found groups to meet the individual needs of their clients.
It has been registered with the CQC since May 2017, and this was its first CQC inspection.
Requirement notices to improve have been served to the service’s provider, the CQC says.
We have approached SIAS and Changes UK for a response.
