Lancashire substance misuse support centre rated 'outstanding'

CGL Inspire is led by "a passionate and committed team" who have "saved lives" a report said

A support service for people affected by drug or alcohol misuse is led by "a passionate and committed team" who have "saved lives", a report has said.

CGL Inspire East Lancashire in Accrington was rated "outstanding" following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors found staff treated people with compassion, kindness and respect and "truly understood" their needs.

People using the service said staff "went the extra mile" to help them.

They said it helped them understand the impact of their addictions on their health, relationships, families and community in a "safe place" where staff were "interested in their recovery" and "treated them as people and not addicts".

Inspections at the centre on Eagle Street in September and October found staff understood the individual needs of people receiving care and treatment for addiction.

They considered the needs of different groups of people using its service and sought to address gaps where their needs were not being met.

Staff worked extremely well together and felt "respected, supported and valued" in jobs they loved.

'Gave them hope'

Karen Knapton, CQC's head of inspection, said: "When we inspected CGL Inspire East Lancashire, we found an outstanding service which was exceptionally responsive to people's needs.

"It was led by a passionate and committed team, who were well-trained and happy in their roles.

"People who used the service told us it gave them hope. It had saved their lives and helped them understand the impact of their addictions on their health, relationships, families and community."

Ms Knapton said she would encourage other providers to read the inspection report to "learn from the personalised quality of care and treatment being delivered".