The Recovery Lighthouse Worthing

We inspected The Recovery Lighthouse in Worthing on 7 July 2021. Recovery Lighthouse is a 13 bed residential rehab that provides medically monitored detoxification and/or rehabilitation programs to adults with substance misuse issues including alcohol and/or opiate dependency.

This was an unannounced focused inspection following concerns being raised about the safe care and treatment at the service. Because of its limited scope, we did not rate at this inspection. You can view previous ratings and reports on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

During the inspection we found a number of areas of concern. Following this inspection, we wrote to the provider and told them that we required them to provide us with assurance that they would make immediate and ongoing improvements, otherwise we would use our powers under Section 31 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Section 31 of the Act allows CQC to impose conditions on a provider's registration. The provider responded to us and provided an action plan. CQC reviewed the provider’s action plan and felt that the actions the provider was taking reduced the risks sufficiently enough that urgent enforcement action was not necessary. However, CQC will continue to closely monitor the service on a weekly basis until the risk had further reduced.

What we found:

The service did not consistently provide safe care and treatment. Staff did not consistently monitor and manage risks to safeguard clients from harm. Identified risks did not always have a management plan created for staff to know how to minimise a client’s risk. Clients detoxing did not consistently have physical health checks completed.

Medicines were not managed safely, and staff did not have clear guidance on how to manage medicines safely and when to appropriately administer as required (PRN) medicines.

Managers did not ensure that staff received appropriate specialist training in substance misuse, detox or mental health. Mandatory refresher training was not consistently completed by staff on time. Staff told us they did not consistently receive regular supervision of a good standard. This meant the provider did not ensure staff had the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the clients.

Staff did not consistently manage unplanned discharge well and did not always ensure people whose needs it could not meet were appropriately supported on discharge from the service.

The service was not consistently well led, and the governance processes did not always ensure clients were safe or that staff were supported. Lessons were not always consistently learnt or shared to improve the service.

However:

The provider, following inspection feedback, responded to the concerns raised and put measures in place to ensure clients were safe while they took action to improve the service.

Staff developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment.

They provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the clients.