Livingstone House

We rated Livingstone House as good because:

• The service provided safe care. The environment was safe and clean. The service had enough staff and they assessed and managed risk well. Staff minimised the use of restrictive practices, managed medicines safely and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.
• Staff developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the client group and in line with national guidance and best practice. Staff engaged in clinical audit to evaluate the quality of care they provided.
• Managers ensured that staff received training, supervision and appraisal. The staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team and communicated well with external agencies.
• Staff respected and valued people using the service, understanding their individual needs and supporting them to understand and manage their care. Staff treated clients with dignity, respect, compassion and kindness. They understood the individual needs of clients and supported them to develop long-term strategies to manage their addiction. Where appropriate, staff involved clients’ families and carers.
• The service provided a range of treatment options in line with best practice and national guidelines, including medication assisted detoxification. The service was easy to access. Staff supported clients to become involved in volunteering, peer support and employment opportunities. Staff planned and managed discharge well and had alternative pathways for people whose needs it could not meet. They liaised well with statutory and community services.
• The service was well led and was developing the relevant governance processes to ensure that its procedures ran smoothly.

However:

• Some staff were not up to date with their mandatory training, but the provider had a plan in place to address this.
• The quality of cleaning that was carried out by clients in the communal areas was not always completed to a high standard, but managers put in place a regular “deep clean” regime to supplement it.
• Some audit paperwork that staff used had not been updated to reflect the change in legal entity.