Rehab centre 'helped save our lives' inspectors told

People have told inspectors an "exemplary" rehabilitation centre has helped "save their lives" .

Substance Misuse Service Acquiesce in Bolton, Greater Manchester was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in August and rated as 'outstanding' by inspectors.

Inspectors visited two sites where up to 12 people can stay for treatment, as well as a third where people attend daily sessions.

They praised staff who went "above and beyond" to empower people "to live full and happy lives" and said other agencies could learn lessons from their ways of working.

Inspectors rated both services as 'outstanding' for being caring, responsive and well-led and rated them as "good" for being safe and effective.

Craig Howarth, CQC deputy director of mental health in the north, said the services had an "inclusive and transparent culture".

"Every person, whether staff, people using the service, or their families, felt genuinely heard, respected, and valued," Howarth said.

"Kind and caring staff went above and beyond to enable people to feel fully cared for and empowered them to live full and happy lives."

He said some described it as "the best rehabilitation service they had been to" while others said it had "saved their lives".

"We saw staff go the extra mile to ensure people could carry on with their lives. For example, some people had been able to return to employment, and they had learnt new skills to move on to independent living.

"Staff also supported people to live healthier lives and supported them to attend exercise, meditation and massage classes whilst at the service."

Inspectors found the services understood people's wishes fully and worked hard so people could live their best lives as independently as possible.

Danielle Robinson, director of services at Acquiesce Ltd said the service was "thrilled" to receive an "outstanding" rating.

"This achievement reflects our commitment to providing the highest quality of addiction treatment for our clients," she said.

"Our dedicated team works so hard to create a safe and nurturing environment, enabling individuals to embark on their recovery journeys with confidence."

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