New to addiction treatment? Clinic programmes and options for private addiction help can be confusing. Many aren't aware of the right questions to ask, and how to compare more than one centre.
Our comprehensive guide will walk you through finding the right help, at the right price. In a hurry? Download our printable Q&A guide to have handy when you speak with providers.
Step 1 - Get Clear On Your Needs
Having newly made the life changing decision to get help can feel rejuvenating....as well as more than a little vulnerable. But use your needs, and past experience, first and foremost, as your guide to what treatment will work best.
Detox & Rehab: Short Term .v. Long Term
A normal stay for alcohol or drug treatment would include the three stages of detoxification, rehabilitation, and aftercare planning. But there's no point in spending more than you have to.
- Unsure if you need detox, rehab, aftercare, or all 3? (Be honest).
You could go for a detox-only programme, but run greater risk of future relapse if other supports are not in place.
When Is Close To Home, Too Close To Home?
Amongst the concerns we hear each day, the location of the clinic is one of the most common. But sometimes, you can be too close to home.
Unless you're extremely unwell, consider anything up to 100 mile radius and focus instead on quality of care.
Therapy levels vary wildly from clinic to clinic, and therapist to therapist. What feedback do you have on the clinic you plan to attend? Asking a few basics like these upfront can save a lot of headache later.
If You Have Complex Needs
Getting the right help means being picky about the support you'll receive while in treatment.
If you've had detoxes in the past, or complications like liver or other issues, you'll want to be extra careful here.
Specific detoxes that may need more specialist intervention include high dose methadone transfers, multi-substance detoxes, or cases with previous hospital admission for addiction.
Does the medical team at a given clinic specialise in addiction? Or do they practice in more general matters, with addiction as a second interest?
KEY QUESTIONS
- In your experience, would someone with my detox needs be better suited for hospital detox?
- What professionals in the clinic are admininstering detox?
- Will I be able to speak with someone who decides about my detox regimen, once admitted to the clinic?
Step 2 - What Does A Stay In Rehab Actually Involve?
What is the typical admission process?
Rehabilitation clinics operate a residential service - you stay residentially, in the clinic, 24hrs a day, usually with your own room and personal space.
Since every individual is different, and needs can vary widely, (even two people consuming the same amount of alcohol or drugs can need very different timescale and treatment) - a personal assessment is usually needed, before admission to a clinic can go ahead.
How Do I Monitor Progress?
If your clinic provides strong personal attention in the programme, they should help you map out what you want from treatment, exactly.
In the best clinics, where personal attention is high, you'll work with an assigned case manager, throughout your stay, who should help you draw up a care plan, in this way.
Be sure to take an active part in this, to avoid having standardised goals laid out, that don't match your preferences or personal situation. This part is important and can determine your progress later, so don't skip it.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Do I get an individualised care plan that I have input into?
- How do you help clients measure goals and progress?
- What input do I have in planning my care?
- How is my treatment regimen communicated between staff members?
What Do I Do In The Clinic, Each Day?
What's the daily routine, inside a rehab, during treatment?
Short of actually admitting to treatment, we need to ask questions here that let us know what we should expect to see, hear, and feel, once admitted to a clinic.
Every day new clients enter treatment and previous ones leave. Although everyone is at different stages of treatment, providers must keep everyone on track. This means preparing and issuing a daily agenda. This will give a clear indication of what activities happen when, where, and what's expected of you.
Factors such as previous detoxes, history of relapse, amount and duration of intake, and others, will determine how long the detox stage of treatment takes. The pace of your treatment can vary. For example, for those with lighter intake levels, progression beyond the detox phase of clinic work can happen in just a few days. Sometimes it will take longer than this to get a clear head again. This variation is natural.
Also, make sure to ask to arrange a visit to look around the clinic, first.
KEY QUESTIONS
- How can I see what's inside the clinic, online?
- What is the daily agenda of activities inside the clinic, and how soon after detox will I be expected to take part?
- Is it possible to arrange a pre-admission visit, to look around? Is there any charge attached?
- When do you expect me to start taking part in the therapy process?
Does Covid-19 Affect My Rehab Treatment?
Few people successfully make it into long term recovery without the help of the bigger group around them.
Overcoming old patterns of self-isolation is normally a big part of getting better.
But doing so safely, in the age of Covid-19, means ensuring the clinic you choose has provisions in place to guard against risk of infection.
Step 3 - What Budget Is Available For Treatment?
Whilst private clinics offer fast access to specialist help, financing the stay in treatment needs planning.
Public services are accountable to the tax payer, and seldom offer more specialist interventions.
Automatically choosing the lowest price provider can lead to poor care levels inside the clinic, detrimental to your recovery progress.
Instead, to keep costs reasonable but standards high, consider providers further afield, or smaller clinics with a lower headcount and rural location.
Without committing yet, get in touch with at least 3 potential treatment centres and ask about costs and your needs. You'll also get some insight here as to how much attention each provider pays and their levels of care.
Other Ways To Get Help
Community-Led Support Channels
Most locations hold local Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings which can assist in the mutual aid and social elements of recovery.
For most at the start of the recovery journey though, detox options are a very real need, and not something that can be obtained without more specialist help.
Thousands benefit from local community groups every week. But for short term help for detox, you'll need professional assistance.
NHS Addiction Options
Whilst the NHS do have addiction keyworkers in different regions, they’re normally overrun with enquiries and demand on resources, meaning obtaining funding for a rehab stay is unlikely.
At best, only the most extreme or chronic cases are normally considered for hospital detox or residential clinics.
Aggregating funds together, between friends and family, can be a good approach to securing private treatment instead, where the individual can't finance it themselves.
Step 4 - Get Independent Reviews
Review platforms are widespread nowadays and some reviews are not always trustworthy.
Arm yourself from the outset, with the *only* truly impartial consumer report available for private clinics - the Care Quality Commission (England & Wales) and/or Care Inspectorate (Scotland) inspection reports.
These two regulatory bodies inspect rehab clinics on a regular basis (usually annually) and produce written reports on their findings.
This includes feedback on staffing, care and support levels, management, and environment.
How Clinic Inspections Work
There are 2 types of clinic inspections you need to know about - "Unannounced" and "Announced". "Unannounced" means the inspection team arrived at the provider with no forewarning; "Announced" means the clinic were aware of the visit in advance; therefore, always seek out reports detailing "Unannounced" inspections, to get the clearest picture possible, of day-to-day standards, inside the clinic.
Step 5 - Decide On A Provider
At this point, you've got enough info to decide on one of the clinics you've seen.
When you call the admissions team for the clinic you’ve chosen, expect to go through an initial telephone assessment, and pay a deposit towards treatment, as explained above.
An assessment shouldn’t normally take more than 20 minutes, after which you can pay any required financial deposit over the phone and expect some form of booking confirmation and receipt of payment.
Take the opportunity at this point to arrange payment via insurance policy, if applicable.
Step 6 - Financing Treatment
As mentioned, paying a deposit secures your room in the clinic, prior to arrival.
Depending on total costs, your deposit could be anywhere from £500 - £3,000 or more.
Not many clinics remain, who offer finance payment plans, directly.
Be sure to get a written confirmation of receipt for your deposit, and confirm with the provider any admin fees due, in the event of admission delays, or even cancellation, due to unforeseen circumstances.
Balance To Pay
The remaining balance is normally paid for on arrival at the clinic, at the point of admission.
It’s worth making the effort to settle this on time, as some providers can levy surcharges for late payment, and this quickly adds up, on larger balances.
Step 7 - Admitting To A Clinic
Make note of the day and time you're due to admit to treatment.
You'll usually be asked to bring certain essentials with you:
Your booking confirmation or documentation received should note guidance on extras such as internet usage, family visits, and precautions or special measures in place as a result of covid-19.
Most clinics have a busy schedule and making sure you arrive on time is important. Getting your means of transport to the clinic organised ahead of time, will ensure things are effortless, on the day.
And of course, enjoy your recovery!
Easy Rehab Q&A Cheatsheet
Thank you for reading the ultimate guide to finding the right rehab treatment for Barry.
You'll find all the right questions to ask a treatment provider in our printable checklist.
You can download the cheatsheet, here.
You've completed our guide on finding the right rehab near Barry!
Abbeycare's UK clinics have been helping those in Barry.
We've worked with thousands from all over the world, and we can probably help you too.
In these last 15 years, our experience has gone from strength to strength.
Even if you need transport arranged to get here, we can probably help with that too.
Our inspection reports from the regulators, are available on our clinic pages, here: Abbeycare Scotland, Abbeycare Hygrove.
Our admissions team are ready to help.
Detox is available, with comfort and safety, with the help of our medical team.
Our addiction specialist therapists can help you overcome the underlying issues of addiction.
Our clinical team are ready to help you start the journey.
Now....are you ready?
If you're ready for help, call our admissions team direct, on 01603 513 091.
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