Forward Leeds, leads the way

Forward Leeds, the city’s alcohol and drug service, is ‘at the forefront of leading innovative work’ with ‘kind, compassionate and caring staff’, according to a recent report.

The comments were made following a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and social care in England. The CQC say Forward Leeds is “Good”, overall and is “Outstanding” in the Well-led category.

Councillor Rebecca Charlwood, Leeds City Council executive member for health, wellbeing and adults, said: “Forward Leeds has helped thousands of people in Leeds recover from drugs and alcohol dependency and I’m delighted the service has received such a positive commendation on their work from the Care Quality Commission.

“I am proud that Leeds City Council funds such an important and high quality service and I would strongly urge anyone affected by these issues and wanting to make a positive change in their life to contact Forward Leeds to see how they can help.”

Operations Director Lee Wilson said: “This is an amazing result for our service and something that we are all really proud of. This is the result of four years hard work and commitment from everyone to make the service into what it is today. This demonstrates the level of commitment our teams have to deliver the best possible service and outcomes for users of our service and their families and loved ones.”

The report states that “clients were at the centre of the work the service offered” and that “clients were consulted with during times of change and their feedback was used to improve services.”

The CQC inspectors continue: “The service was at the forefront of leading innovative work and developing new ways of working. They were identifying unmet needs within the communities and putting mechanisms in place to address them.

“Staff were motivated and demonstrated a positive culture….staff were skilled in their roles… the service had an effective multi-disciplinary team” and “staff provided care and treatment in line with best practice and guidance.”

Former user of the service Eddie Thompson said: “Thanks to Forward Leeds I have been given a new start in life and I can’t thank them enough. It’s great to see Forward Leeds and especially the staff getting the recognition they deserve.”

The full report is available to read online from the CQC website.