A BRADFORD-based substance and alcohol misuse service has been rated as ‘outstanding’ following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

New Directions Bradford, headquartered on Manningham Lane, was said to have gone “above and beyond”.

It is part of national charity Change Grow Live and provides advice, treatment and support for substance and alcohol misuse in Bradford and Keighley.

Following the inspection, the service was rated ‘outstanding’ overall, and for being caring and effective. It was rated ‘good’ for being safe, well-led and responsive.

It was last inspected in November 2018, when it was told to improve.

Brian Cranna, CQC’s head of hospital inspection, said: “When we inspected New Directions Bradford, we were extremely impressed by the level of support people received and found a service that had made widespread improvements.

“There was a strong and visible person-centred culture at the service.

“Staff knew people well and all the interactions we saw were kind and respectful. Former service users had become staff members and were actively involved in making decisions about the future of the service.

“People fed back how helpful it was to get supported by someone who had lived through similar experiences.”

He added: “We were impressed that the service had ran a campaign to test as many people as possible for Hepatitis C and referred anyone for treatment who needed it. The campaign had been a success and had referred people who may not have been identified as needing treatment.

“During the pandemic, the service went above and beyond to ensure people received support. For example, leaders increased the number of mobile phones given to people so they could stay connected with the service.

“Staff also ensured Naloxone was accessible in accommodation where opiate users lived. This is a medication that reverses the effects of opioid usage. They distributed kits and provided training on administering it in hostels across Bradford.

“Feedback about the service was consistently positive. People and their families said the care they received was exceptional and that they were always involved in decision-making.  

“The whole team deserves to be congratulated for all their hard work and commitment.”

Becky Norton, Change Grow Live services manager, said of the inspection: “We are incredibly pleased that our service has been rated outstanding following our recent CQC inspection. 

“It is testament to all the hard work, passion and resilience of the team in Bradford & District. I would like to acknowledge the effort of everyone connected that has worked so hard to ensure the service we deliver is outstanding.”