2020 at Broadway Lodge

What a year 2020 has been! This time last year we were thinking about our exciting plans for Broadway Lodge over the next 12 months (namely a highly anticipated refurbishment). It’s fair to say coronavirus put a stop to those going ahead but we are feeling optimistic that 2021 will allow us to implement them.

This year has been a whirlwind – it feels like it’s flown by but not without lots of action and last-minute alterations in order to adapt to the challenges the pandemic has presented. The challenges haven’t all been negative, they’ve pushed us to execute plans we had for the future, just far quicker than we expected. Along with the coronavirus outbreak, we encountered an IT issue which was rectified superbly with the dedication of the team here and our external IT support service. Our new IT system has provided us with a more modern and faster way of working.

Other changes at Broadway Lodge this year include…

Staff Leavers & Joiners – We were sad to see housekeepers Jenny and Lilly leave as they both retired this year as well as nurse Caz, although she is still on board covering occasional shifts as a bank nurse. In addition, hilarious, bubbly, caring and understanding admissions officer Kylie left Broadway Lodge to pursue a different career. They are all very much missed. We have however welcomed a number of new starters to the team this year including bank nurse Sue, nurse Jane, bank counsellor Amanda as well as housekeeper Mandy and they’ve all settled in seamlessly! We’re also due to welcome another nurse and an additional admissions officer to the team shortly.

No More Reception – We have assessed the way everything works at Broadway Lodge and as part of some changes to streamline operations here, it was determined that there was no longer a need for a reception. Our dedicated and super organised receptionist, Sandra, is now employed as Project Assistant for the West of England Works programme working closely with Wendy.

Medical Suite Move – We’ve re-located the medical suite where the nurses and detox clients were based, from the first floor of the main house to the separate 5-bedroom Gordon Beard Unit which was previously used as accommodation for clients on the extended programme. This move was in the pipeline but was brought forward very suddenly in April and this self-contained suite has been instrumental in allowing new clients to be admitted safely into Broadway Lodge during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Hub – We’ve created a communal office in the main house called ‘The Hub’. It’s provided a space for the house nurse, the counsellors and support staff to be based when they aren’t working in sessions with clients in other areas of the house, so that it’s easier for clients and colleagues to locate a staff member when required.

Admissions Paused – For the first time in Broadway Lodge history, admissions were paused for a number of weeks in the spring/summer as a method to reduce the risk of coronavirus being brought into the facility prior to test kits being available. Normally caring for over 30 clients at a time, the client numbers reduced to just 6 in the spring resulting in Broadway Lodge feeling unusually quiet! Numbers have since recovered to levels we’re more used to again.

Dry Houses Refurbished – Our two 4-bedroom dry houses in Bristol were given a much needed refurbishment (details can be found on our blog) and the residents are doing a great job of keeping them clean and tidy.

No Reunion – The annual reunion is such a happy, emotional and joyous day. Catching up with over 200 former clients and hearing all the positive stories about their lives in recovery is something we all get so excited about, there’s nothing else like it. But this year it wasn’t meant to be. We had no choice but to cancel it due to coronavirus restrictions but we have everything crossed for a successful reunion next year.

Although we paused admissions for a number of weeks which saw the number of clients drop to a level never encountered before, we are very pleased to have still been able to help 142 people to begin their recovery journey this year.

We are also grateful for all of the love we’ve received on our social media pages and in reviews, all the treatment enquiries and advice requests from individuals and concerned friends and relatives, messages from former clients and all of the kind and generous individuals and organisations who have donated money and products to help us to continue the life changing work we do.