Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire were asked by Change Grow Live, a substance support and solution organisation, to engage with service users and gather a better understanding of their experiences. Change Grow Live or CGL is an organisation that aspires and is committed to delivering services that make a real difference to people’s lives and the communities they serve. Their work focuses on rehabilitation and support for those individuals who are struggling with substance dependency. Change Grow Live services include programmes such as Substance to Solution, Drug and Alcohol Service, and a Resettlement Service.
Healthwatch employees carried out 2 focus groups to engage with users of the service and gathered their feedback on the care they were provided, and to elaborate about their views of care regarding substance misuse.
They gathered experiences from 94 users of the service and formulated a report using their findings.
A spokesperson from Change Grow Live said “It was great to work with Healthwatch on this project and we are reviewing how we provide additional support, exploring extended opening hours, accessibility via our digital offer, and using technology to provide alternative ways for people to access our support”. And, Kate Holt, CEO of Healthwatch said “It was a great project to work on. Service users welcomed our interaction and spoke to us quite openly about their struggles with substance misuse and the support that CGL offers them to cope with their issues”.