We spoke with two people in private who used the service and both indicated that the service supported their needs. We reviewed thoroughly two people's care records and viewed the risk assessments for all eight service users. The two care records reviewed showed that all successful applicants to Hebron House underwent a thorough pre-admission assessment. Such assessment included identifying and agreeing the individual's needs and wishes prior to and during their time at Hebron House. We also saw evidence of ongoing support offered when people moved on from Hebron House.

We noted that risk assessments were continuous throughout the person's time at Hebron House.

We saw that people had access to therapeutic sessions as part of their rehabilitation. We also saw that activities such as cooking, laundry, art and computer studies were made available.

We spoke with staff who told us they felt supported and valued.They said they were provided with the necessary and ongoing training in order to meet the needs of the organisation, the team and the people using the service.

One person using the service told us "I like to go out with my keyworker. I feel very supported." Another indicated they were allowed to smoke in the grounds of the house, but not indoors.

The home was clean, tidy, well presented and comfortable.

During our visit we spoke with two people in private and two members of staff as well as the Manager and Project Support Coordinator. We looked at two care records and a sample of maintenance records. We walked round the building and saw improvements had been made such as the replacement of windows and carpets.

We saw that several people living at Hebron House attended an organised meeting as part of their rehabilitation programme. When the meeting had finished several people continued with their tasks such as laundry, preparing lunch or relaxing. Staff were seen speaking to people within various communal rooms with one helping in the kitchen with lunch showing how both people living at the home and staff help and work together.

People told us "This is a lovely place to be, the staff are very friendly here, there's no one that I haven't been able to sit and talk to. They have supported me one hundred per cent."

"Lovely place. What is there to complain about? They have given me my life back."

The home was calm, quiet and people carried on with their everyday tasks.

People told us they were very satisfied with the support and treatment they receive at this home. One person told us it had “Been brilliant.” They spoke about mutual trust between themselves and staff. People using the service told us they felt listened to and were confident that their views were taken seriously.

When speaking about their treatment regimes, people spoke about the house rules that exist to support their rehabilitation. One person said that it was “Amazing what they’ve achieved with me.” They told us about how the many sessions they were required to attend help them to prepare to return to the local community. People were positive about their futures and the role the service had played in their improvement and return to healthy living.

We do not currently rate independent substance misuse services.

We found the following areas of good practice:

• Staff established a therapeutic relationship with clients that enabled them to be fully involved in their care. A therapeutic relationship is a working relationship between a worker and a client; this is built on mutual trust and respect with the aim of bringing about beneficial change.

• Staff provided a supportive resettlement package to those clients who completed the programme at Hebron House.

• Staff provided clients with a full structured timetable.

• Clients were clear on the steps they needed to take to progress with their treatment. Recovery plans and workbooks played a significant role in a client’s recovery.

• Staff treated clients with respect and kindness and supported them throughout their stay with the service.

• Staff morale was good and there was an open and honest atmosphere.

• Hebron House was clean and well maintained. There was a clear set of rules that helped clients stay safe from their addiction and enabled them to concentrate on their recovery.

However, we also found things that the service provider need to improve:

• Although the service took immediate action following an incident, they had no formal processes in place to record all types of incident. This meant that they were unable to identify patterns, effectively investigate or ensure that staff learnt and shared lessons.

• Although staff told us they felt supported, they did not receive supervisions in line with the organisation’s supervision policy.

• Managers did not formally appraise staff. This meant that managers and staff had no means to effectively monitor and evaluate their performance against agreed objectives.

• Managers did not use key performance indicators to gauge the performance of the team and therefore assess if the service was meeting organisational targets.