WDP Merton is rated ‘Good’ by CQC

We are delighted to announce that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a glowing inspection report for our Merton substance misuse treatment service. The overall CQC rating was ‘Good’ but the service was also scored ‘Outstanding’ against how responsive the service was to people’s needs.

The CQC inspectors highlighted that “the service had gone over and above in understanding the local community in Merton” and that “staff were exceptional in recognising and responding to the needs of the local population.”

The report also includes some fantastic feedback from service users. The CQC inspectors reported that service users “felt that they were always treated with kindness, dignity and respect by staff” and that “staff were friendly, polite and helpful in creating a positive and healthy atmosphere.” One service user in particular said that “the kindness and care was the best that they had ever received.”

Tobin Byers, Merton Council’s Cabinet member for Health & Social Care said: “This really is a local service to be proud of. It is providing real support to those who need and want to improve their lives, have a positive role in the community and have a healthier future.

“Tackling the stigma associated with substance misuse problems is critical and they deserve our support, and I’m delighted that the standard bearer for these services – the Care Quality Commission – has rated it so highly. Both staff at the council and those staff and volunteers at WDP should be proud of the service they’re providing.”

Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP, commented: “We are extremely proud that the excellent work of our staff and volunteers has been recognised in such an overwhelmingly positive way. To receive such a first-rate report from the CQC and hear incredible feedback from our service users is incredibly inspirational to everyone at WDP. The services provided by WDP Merton are hugely important for the local community and we look forward to continuing to support our service users’ recovery and identify even more ways to reach out to those in need.”

Although there were many examples of good practice highlighted – including safeguarding, local partnership working and the staff team – the areas of outstanding practice that the CQC was particularly impressed by were:

• Encouraging service users to access the local community and activities within it.
• Employing a Tamil-speaking apprentice to provide specific group interventions in Tamil and providing written materials in Tamil and Polish, due to the large local populations of these groups.
• An in-house employment support programme with strong links to the local Jobcentre Plus, who hold a monthly drop-in session at the service.
• Providing a reward card scheme for service users, the Capital Card®, to incentivise service user engagement, where they can earn points by attending groups or engaging in treatment interventions and spend these points on fun activities such as the cinema or gym.
• The staff team winning an organisational award for going the extra mile for their service users.

To access the full CQC inspection report, please click here.

If you live in Merton and would like to talk to someone about your or a loved one’s drug or alcohol use, please contact us on 0300 303 4610 or merton@wdp.org.uk.