Liberty House Clinic Limited

Updated 24 June 2019

Liberty House Clinic is one of a group of substance misuse services owned by UK Addiction Treatment Centres (UKAT). Liberty House Clinic opened in February 2016 and is a 20 bedded residential drug and/or alcohol medically monitored, detoxification and rehabilitation facility based in Luton, Bedfordshire. The service provides care and treatment for male and female clients.

Liberty House Clinic provides ongoing abstinence-based treatment, which focuses on the 12- step programme and integrates cognitive behavioural therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy.

Liberty House Clinic is registered to provide:

• accommodation for persons who require treatment for substance misuse.

The location was registered with the CQC in June 2015. At the time of inspection, the service had a registered manager and a nominated individual.

At the time of inspection, 19 people were residents at the service for treatment. Length of stay for clients in treatment was up to 28 days. The service provides care and treatment for male and female clients, Liberty House Clinic takes self-referrals from privately funded individuals and can also offer a bursary.

The Care Quality Commission carried out a comprehensive inspection of Liberty House Clinic in May 2018 and found no breaches of regulation.

Updated 24 June 2019

We rated Liberty House clinic as outstanding because:

• Staff took a truly holistic approach to assessing, planning and delivering care and treatment to people who used the service. Staff reviewed, and updated care plans regularly and looked at each individual’s strengths. Clients had access to their care plans and care plans reflected their own words. Staff supported clients with issues relating to their substance misuse, including developing specific pathways for people to access support with blood borne virus testing, sexual health screening and education around such topics. The range of treatment options included those recommended by national guidance and the 12-step approach. Managers and staff focused on ways in which safety and outcomes for clients could be improved, including the use of a capacity and intoxification test when people began treatment.
• The continuing development of staff skills, competence and knowledge were recognised as being integral to ensuring high quality care. Staff were proactively supported to acquire new skills and share best practice. All staff had completed their mandatory training, received regular supervision and had received an annual appraisal.

• Feedback from people who used the service and those who were close to them was continually positive about the way staff treated people. People said that staff went the extra mile and the care they received exceeded their expectations. Clients felt empowered in their treatment. Clients told us their treatment was individualised, and that staff listened to their choices. We observed staff interacting with clients and family members in a respectful, kind and supportive manner.

• Managers had an inspiring shared purpose and motivated staff to succeed. Members of the senior management team were visible within the service, the service manager had clear direction to further improve treatment and client experience at Liberty House Clinic. Staff felt positive and passionate about their roles and the client group they were supporting. Staff felt valued, positive and proud about working for Liberty House Clinic.
• There were consistently high levels of constructive engagement with staff. Staff had access to team meetings, additional ‘flash’ meetings to discuss any issues requiring immediate attention, such as medication errors and carried out weekly, monthly and quarterly internal and external audits, which covered all aspects of service provision.
• The service had recently implemented a new easy to use electronic case management system which had been specifically developed for addiction treatment facilities and could be customised to suit the individual service.
• Staff completed medication management to a high standard. Physical health checks were completed prior to initiating treatment and detoxification and throughout treatment.

• Staff referred clients who had successfully completed treatment to become part of the alumini. UKAT organised recovery events for the alumini group to keep the recovery momentum ongoing after treatment. Clients who had completed treatment were supported at their local UKAT centre for a year following treatment, family members also had the opportunity to receive support for a year following treatment.

Updated 16 July 2018