WORKERS at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation service which is provided by London-based charity Addaction have raised serious concerns about staffing levels and the way the service is run.

A staff survey of Addaction workers in Leigh and Wigan was conducted by the union Unison, using questions that are also used in the annual NHS staff survey.

While workers in the NHS across England overwhelmingly agree their organisation’s top priority is care of service users (76 per cent), this figure was only 20 per cent for Addaction staff in Leigh and Wigan.

When asked if they would be happy with the standard of care provided by Addaction for a friend or relative who needed treatment, 70 per cent said that they would not be.

For NHS workers, despite problems in the health service, this figure is less than 10 per cent.

A key problem identified in survey responses is inadequate staffing levels in the Addaction service: “There simply are not enough staff to provide the services that Addaction have promised as part of this contract... Staff [are]... working at dangerous and unsustainable levels.”

Survey responses show that Addaction’s pay policies are impacting on staff recruitment and retention: “Recruitment of experienced managers is difficult due to low salaries offered compared to NHS.

"Retention of staff is difficult due to low pay [and] no pay progression... Recruitment of experienced recovery workers is seldom possible due to low salary...”

“(The service) involves "script and go”, characterised by extremely brief five minute contacts that don't offer any psychosocial intervention or even vital harm reduction.”

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Nearly 30 Addaction staff are currently involved in an industrial dispute with their employer over non-payment of the NHS pay rise.

These staff – who formerly worked in the NHS – see the Addaction service as inferior: “I cannot do the job I did when working within the NHS.

"It’s very sad. We have lost a good, vital service.”

“Waiting times are atrocious. (The) service is not delivering anywhere near the quality that it did under NHS.

"Service users are admitting themselves to hospital whichever way possible as they get on a prescription quicker.”

Regional organiser for Unison North West, Paddy Cleary, said: “This is a service in crisis.

"It is shocking that the staff who work in this service regard it as so inadequate that most would not be happy for their own friends or relatives to receive it.

“A ‘script-and-go’ service is simply not good enough, and staff are feeling tremendous stress and worry from knowing that vulnerable people in their care are not getting the service they need to keep them safe."

Earlier this week, Addaction met with Unison and made an offer to the striking workers but the union views the deal as insufficient.

Discussing Addaction’s offer, Cleary said: "The derisory offer simply offers a paltry sum as a one-off payment and does not come close to addressing why their dedicated support workers have taken eleven days of strike action so far.

“Pay promises have been broken and Addaction staff are feeling more betrayed than ever.”

In spite of their grievances, Addaction’s support workers have decided not to take any further action before Christmas.

Unison will re-ballot the striking workers in order to increase the length of mandate for action.

Paddy Cleary added: “In spite of the continued mistreatment by their employer, these heroes have decided to postpone action until after Christmas in the best interests of the service users.

"But make no mistake, they are more determined than ever to fight for what is rightfully theirs and will continue the fight into 2020 if Addaction do not come to their senses.”

In response, an Addaction spokesman said: “Unison's survey isn't representative of our whole workforce in Wigan and Leigh, but only a proportion of staff.

"We are in regular dialogue with the team and will discuss the issues raised in the survey with them.

"However, the most recent Care Quality Commission report rated our Wigan and Leigh services as 'Good', highlighting the personalised recovery packages it offers to all clients and the service’s focus on psycho social support as well as prescribed medicines.

"The service is fully staffed with a permanent management team in place.

"If you or someone you care about needs help and support then please don’t hesitate to reach out.

“As a charity, we’re committed to providing the best possible support for people who use our treatment services, while also providing our staff with a fair wage and good working conditions.

"We are currently in conversation with Unison and are committed to trying to work through the issues in a way that is fair and sustainable for our staff, the people who use our services and the local community.”