A ‘life saving’ service for young people battling drug and alcohol addiction has been praised by the health watchdog.
Stockport council-run MOSAIC is now rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following a recent review of its performance.
At the time of the inspection the service was treating nearly 100 people aged 26 and under, as well as offering support in schools and via its family team.
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The CQC report noted that there was no waiting list and those in need of help were assessed ‘very quickly’ after being referred.
It adds: “Everyone we spoke with was positive about the service, describing staff that went above and beyond their expectations, tailoring the support to meet their needs and progressing at their pace.
“Clients said staff were excellent at listening to them, being non judgemental and setting realistic aims and goals.”
Family intervention was a valued element of the service, with people telling officials of the role it had played in ‘saving’ their loved ones.
“They described how the service enabled family members to reflect on their reactions to their loved one’s alcohol or substance misuse, and consider alternative responses with the aim of different outcomes," the report continues.
While some children had refused to engage with MOSAIC services, the support and advice given to parents had ultimately led to a change in their behaviour.
One parent told officials that MOSAIC had ‘saved their child’s life’ and ‘they didn’t know where they would be’ without the service.
During the December inspection, officials observed four sessions including a school based session, a clinic appointment, training session and family appointment.
Staff were praised for being ‘discrete, respectful, and responsive when caring for clients’.
Appointments were also arranged to meet people’s individual needs - including going for a walk and meeting in a café.
The clinic itself is based within an ‘inconspicuous’ building in Stockport town centre.
These premises were described as ‘safe and clean’ while staff provided a ‘range of care and treatment suitable for the clients’.
The report notes how there was a ‘full range of specialists’ to meet people’s needs, with the treatment team also including a nurse and a doctor.
'A large number' of staff are registered social workers, while others had other professional backgrounds, including youth work.
Inspectors found that workloads were not ‘too high to prevent staff from giving each client the time they needed’.
Staff treated clients with ‘compassion and kindness’, understanding their individual needs and helping them to understand and manage their treatment.
Officials were told they conducted themselves in a ‘professional, respectful and non-judgemental’ manner.
However, the service did not retain the overall ‘outstanding’ rating it achieved when it was last inspected back in 2019.
This was due to the new electronic care records not being as ‘person-centred’ as they had been when they were paper-based.
And while the majority of support was ‘remote’ - either via phone or in the community - these clients were not given written information about the service or how to complain.
The oversight of staff training was also found to be ‘not consistent'.
Despite these criticisms, the service was found to be ‘good’ in all assessment categories, except for ‘caring’, which was judged as ‘outstanding’.
The report has been welcomed by Councillor Colin Foster, cabinet member for children, family services and education, at Stockport council.
He said: “I’m delighted that the MOSAIC service has had such a positive inspection report.
“This reflects the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in delivering this vital service.
“This report findings show that – even against the backdrop of a pandemic which has provided monumental challenges – young people in our borough will get the support and care they require in this area.”
From the end of January MOSAIC began extending its offer to parents over the age of 26 years and their families, where children's social care is involved and the case is at child protection level and above.
This mode, implemented at an early stage, is expected to improve outcomes for children and families.
