When someone in your family is struggling with addiction, the pressure to act fast is immense. Private rehab facilities know this — and their marketing is designed to convert urgency into a booking.
But at £8,000 to £30,000 per week, you deserve to know exactly what you're buying. And the gap between marketing and reality in this industry is often significant.
What to investigate
CQC registration and inspection reports. Every legitimate rehab facility in England should be registered with the Care Quality Commission. Check their latest inspection report. Pay attention to the "Safe" and "Effective" ratings specifically — "Good" in caring but "Requires Improvement" in effectiveness tells you something important.
Clinical model. Ask what evidence-based protocols they use. Facilities should be able to name specific therapeutic approaches — CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care — and explain why they've chosen them for this type of addiction. If the answer is vague or heavily focused on luxury amenities, that's a signal.
Staff qualifications. Who will actually be delivering the therapy? Ask about the ratio of qualified clinicians to support staff. Ask whether the psychiatrist is on-site or visiting. Ask about continuity of care — will your family member see the same therapist throughout?
Outcome data. This is where most facilities fall down. Ask for published outcome data — completion rates, follow-up sobriety rates at 6 and 12 months. If they can't provide this, ask why. Compare anything they do share against NHS benchmarks and published research on treatment effectiveness.
Aftercare programme. The evidence is clear that aftercare is the strongest predictor of sustained recovery. Ask exactly what happens after discharge. A good facility will have a structured aftercare programme lasting 12 months minimum.
What I do for families navigating addiction
I research the published data on treating the specific addiction, vet the facility independently — its clinical model, staffing, CQC reports, and outcome data — assess whether medication-assisted treatment should be part of the approach, and produce a briefing that cuts through the marketing and gives your family the clarity to make the right decision.