changegrowlive.org Avis 70

After so many empty promises from Branches E17, my friend was moved against his will to an area he didn’t know miles away from his support network totally isolated. No surprise to find he rapidly declined but not to worry “CGL would support him for 6 months over the phone”!
Needless to say when we exhausted every other means of charitable help for a detox program we were referred back to CGL who said “we can’t help, he’s not in our area”.
You can’t make it up.

This is literally the worst possible service imaginable. They don't care about their clients AT ALL. I will get faster to morgue than get any help from these useless brats.

I feel so let down. I’d been to be GP about my alcoholism and met with judgement and disdain. They told me to self-refer to CGL in Morecambe which I did. I spoke to a lovely person on the phone who made me feel there was hope. My first visit felt positive but my blood pressure was high which meant that I wasn’t allowed to try a community detox. When I went to my final appointment a few months later, my blood pressure was still high. I felt judged and they weren’t prepared to help at all. Now where do I turn? It was hard enough to ask for help in the first place. I’m still struggling now and continuing to feel so ashamed. I can’t afford a private detox. I’m left desperate.

Apparently the medical “specialist” at CGL believes that my increased anxiety after decades long doctor prescribed benzodiazepines usage and current tapering are due to an underlying mental health condition and NOT the result of the Clonazepam tapering. NICE disagrees.

I have never felt SO disappointed and disrespected by a medical “organization” in my entire life. How on earth is this place even publicly funded?!! Absolutely disgusting and shameful. UNPROFESSIONAL TO THE MAX.

Avoid avoid avoid!!!

Absolutely shocking service ... They help no1...Just tick boxes to please the already struggling councils...
They ignore and treat people like an adict ..
No humanity..No mental health support ... They need an utter re-vamp because people are dying begging for help when they do NOTHING....
My key worker hates me and would rather see me unalived than help me...Shocking service...

I was assulted by a member of a user i was so upset no support from the staff it was brushed under the carpet i left early the staff that get paid dont want to be there supporting other addicts im speaking out aginst corina and craig unacceptable behaviour talking about unacceptable stuff

This company has performed far below my expectation, The overall process is poor and my special vote of thanks goes directly to the award winning SPACE BANK, which i wish i had come across more earlier . I'm a better person today in all ramifications just because of them .

Have been seeing my keyworker trevor for 6 months now at romford cgl services
Im a recovering addict and suffering with severe mental health problems on top of this. Trevor has taken his time and even spoken to me outside working hours.
I have committed suicide before and died twice in the process leading to a month in hospital in icu after being resuscitated.
Trevor continued to work with me and after his advice Im sober since after that one lapse and his got me to reach out to mental health resulting in me being put in a wellhouse under mental health and addressing my underlying issues including therapy and correct medication.
Out of all my mental health experience the past 10 years he has helped me more in 6 months than anyone ive ever met. I honestly believe if it wasnt for him I wouldnt be here. His also helped my mum go to groups for recovering addicts in the family. If it wasnt for him I wouldnt be sober now and if in doubt still alive.
Im hoping this gets noticed so he gets the credit he deserves. He is now a true friend of mine.
If you commit yourself to these workers they will save you from your darkest moments
Much love
Scott jarvis

Trust pilot why keep removing my reviews?..
Why do my reviews of CGL in particular HELEN BOLAND keep getting taken down? Helen is an evil and vindictive person who likes to make vulnerable people suffer. She is responsible for countless people being evicted bc she doesn't like them and they refused to obey her dictatorial rules. No one is allowed to have an opinion unless their opinion is the same as hers!! We all must stand up to fascist dictators like her and say NO!!!

Over half an hour wait with no update and plenty of staff drifting through reception, but all that is forgivable. It was the aggression another visitor was dealt when simply asking how long he'd have to wait for a prescription (which he'd visited, phoned and emailed multiple times for and was under time constraints to pick up that evening). The receptionist was overly defensive and disrespectful because they hadn't listened to a simple and quite justified question. As I say, pretty shocked by the whole experience, as a first time visitor.

I have been in and out of active addiction for over 40 years and been a service user for almost as long... I've had relationships with many health care professionals good and bad which is why i feel i must write a review for CGL CAMDEN.

First of all when i heard the Margaret Centre was closing i was shocked and sad as i had had some very good relationships with the staff there. Lisa Scott-Thomas my Care Manager and my Drug Worker Louise were outstanding as professionals and very supportive on a 1-1 level. I had heard that CGL were taking on their clients, over 700 of them which I was sure was going to be a logistical nightmare! I'd heard that CGL were already having teething problems with the rapport with some of their clients...
This however was not my personal experience. Although I have had a few different Drug Workers I have been with Anandhu for a while now. Despite not having access to my phone for a while we still managed to see each other often enough to create a good rapport. This means he knows what's going on in my life. As he asked a lot of the right questions I found myself talking to him openly and honestly. He made me feel comfortable enough to discuss most things going on in my life.. Anandhu sourced benefit advice for me which is ongoing and referred me to the team involved with accessing voluntary work. Going back to work is a big thing but now that I have been stable for quite a while voluntary work is the first step to getting back into full time employment which is really exciting. It's about trusting in the process i guess...
Recently I had some bad news about my parents' health so I had to go home for a while. Anandhu made the whole process seamless. To make that happen at such short notice meant he had to liaise with other departments and colleagues yet it was done without any problems or setbacks. I was so grateful for this having so many other things to cope with at the time.
All in all CGL CAMDEN especially Anandhu have gone above and beyond any expectations I might have had of them. This contemporary purpose built building has more facilities than you can shake a stick at! Everything from computer awareness and IT classes to acupuncture. All of the departments work together to treat the client as a whole.. i can't say enough good things about them. they have treated me as an adult in addiction with understanding and respect. That goes a long way with me, like I said seamless, well almost! ;]
Thank you CGL, thank you Anandhu... I think having the right Drug Worker makes a big difference to someone's progress in treatment and Anandhu has definitely helped me!
Best wishes
Debbie Austin-Green

I was expecting call from cgl, they call me about 4 seconds, I was in noise place and run outside to pick up the phone. It was 4 seconds! Than they said they call me again, but no response. I need help, but there’s no help even from rehab centre. I don’t understand how they work like this, this is not help, you make people more vulnerable.

Obviously I can only write about my own experience with CGL and this is a fair and very accurate assessment of the care and support that I have received and am continuing to do so. I referred myself due to alcohol dependency. From a 2 hour assessment with Davina my key worker, Louise who sometimes stood in when Davina wasn't around(on holiday) the incredible nurses, Isaac behind reception, Mark, a wonderful volunteer who helped me so much by sharing his personal experiences which really kept me going and lastly the incredible Andy. I'm actually crying as I write this. Not out of sadness but out of sheer gratitude for these aforementioned people who I feel have literally saved my life. They don't just dump you onto the street after your detox. The after care is amazing and nothing is ever too much trouble. I could not recommend Bromley CGL enough. Guys and girls I cannot thank you enough.

This service is incompetent in safeguarding children and adults. They have placed women at risk from abusive men.

Had an appointment today at Church Road in Birmingham and the guy couldnt even attend an appointment he created. It did make me realise one thing though, the only person I can rely on is myself. Hope you all have a better experience and get where you need to be

I can see there is a lot of bad reviews on here, but I needed to say my experience with my keyworker, Lorraine at Hemel Hempstead has been absolutely amazing. From the moment I met her she was on board, supportive, dedicated and helpful. She has guided me through my detox and has supported me weekly with therapy and help. She has allowed me to talk about why I was drinking so much, why I had the traumas and what really is the routine of my problems. She has worked with GPs and mental health teams with emails and phone calls regarding my health, and has taken extra time to really listen and understand. I have had lots of therapy and help before, but no one has come close to how kind and understanding Lorraine has been. She is an absolute credit to the service and has helped me on my 175 day sober recovery. I never thought I’d be sober two weeks let alone this long. She has helped me get my life back on track. Thankyou so much Lorraine for you support and help!

Absolutely appalling from the very start. I attended the assessment. It was difficult to understand the key worker, English was not his first language, and he kept asking me to repeat what I had said, several times, every sentence. When it was finally done he asked me to attend an online session. It was 30 mins later. I explained I wouldn't be home in time for it and he agreed to reschedule. He never did, and I wasn't home in time to attend the online session. He never scheduled the appointment with the nurse like he said he would. I called back on 3 occasions and spoke to operators who said they would get the key worker to contact me. No one ever called me back.

What a waste of time . I would put -10 if I could . Don't have a clue what they are doing just make thinks worse. Don't bother with them

My CGL worker has given me invaluable emotional support and encouragement through my latest period of increased need.

She is however clearly over worked and unable to conceptualise how she fails me at every meeting. So good at producing the outputs CGL require of her she has "helped me" produce a recovery plan and two reviews that have next to none of myself in them.

They will offer you help in form of helping you make phone calls or to attend meetings with you in a advocates role only to not actually deliver when you take them up on the offer.

Management is absent from the "community".

Moreover this thing of being a "community" is a horrific lie. If there was a recovery community it would be accessable outside office hours and there would be a space to share your opinions and thoughts without professional mediation. There would be the opportunity to lobby for our needs as a group/class when rights are threatened such as during COVID. Such a community obviously can not be allowed to exist. It would be a place of obvious counterculture information and would be like giving prisoners a vote.