The Lighthouse

Located at Southchurch Avenue, The Lighthouse serves Southend-On-Sea and the surrounding area as a registered healthcare provider, within the East region. The registered provider is Step by Step Recovery Limited, the legal entity accountable to the regulator for the quality and safety of care delivered here.

As a CQC-registered healthcare provider, The Lighthouse operates under the regulatory framework that governs health and social care in England. Registration is not a formality: it means the provider has satisfied the Care Quality Commission that its premises, staffing, clinical governance and safeguarding arrangements meet the fundamental standards of safe care. Providers must nominate a registered manager who is legally accountable for the quality of the service, and they remain subject to inspection and enforcement for as long as they trade.

Healthcare services in the UK range from large NHS-commissioned organisations to small independent practices, and the mix matters when you are choosing where to be seen. Independent providers often offer shorter waiting times and extended hours, while NHS-commissioned services are free at the point of use. Many providers, including practices like The Lighthouse, serve both routes — so it is always worth asking how you can access care and what each route involves before you book.

For funding and referral purposes the location sits in the Southend-on-Sea local authority area of the East region, in a city with 120 registered healthcare providers of all types — relevant because needs assessments, social-care budgets and many community services are organised along these boundaries.

The CQC's most recent recorded check of this location took place on 28 April 2023. Inspection reports are public documents, and the official record for this location is linked in the registration section below — reading the latest report is the single most reliable way to understand how the service performs day to day.

The Care Quality Commission records the population groups each provider is registered to care for. These declarations shape staffing, training and premises requirements, so they are a reliable indicator of what the service is genuinely set up to do. For The Lighthouse, the register lists the following care groups:

Caring for adults under 65 yrs

Registration for working-age adults signals a service oriented around different goals than elderly care: maintaining employment and family roles, rehabilitation and independence, and care plans built around an active life rather than primarily around frailty management.

Substance misuse problems

The provider is registered to support people with drug or alcohol problems. Depending on the service this spans structured detoxification, residential rehabilitation programmes, or community support — with clinical governance around withdrawal management, relapse prevention and safeguarding at its core.

Use these declarations actively: they tell you which providers are even eligible for your situation, and they give you the vocabulary for sharper questions. Needs that span more than one group deserve special attention — ask any prospective service how the care plan will address both together, and listen for specifics rather than reassurance.

Declared specialisms are commitments, not decorations: the CQC inspects against them, and they are a fair basis for direct questions when you contact the service.

Not every healthcare provider offers every service below at every site, so verify the specific treatment you need with The Lighthouse when you book.

Initial assessment

A structured first appointment covering your history, current concerns and goals, used to plan ongoing care or refer you to a more suitable service.

Ongoing treatment and reviews

Scheduled follow-up appointments that track your progress against the care plan and adjust treatment where needed.

Health advice and signposting

Guidance on managing your condition day to day, plus referrals into NHS or specialist pathways when your needs go beyond the service's scope.

Care planning

A documented plan agreed with you (and family or carers where appropriate) setting out what care is delivered, by whom, and how often it is reviewed.

Safeguarding and advocacy support

All CQC-registered providers must operate safeguarding procedures and can connect you with advocacy services if you need support making decisions.

To contact The Lighthouse directly, call 01702296006.

The quickest way to arrange care with The Lighthouse is to telephone the service directly — phone lines are usually the fastest route to a real diary, and the team can tell you immediately whether they are taking new patients, what information they need, and how soon you can be seen. If the provider runs a website, look for an online enquiry or booking form; these are typically answered within one working day.

Before you call, have three things to hand: your NHS number if you know it (it is on any NHS letter or prescription), a list of current medications, and a short summary of what you need — new assessment, ongoing care, or a second opinion. If you are enquiring for a relative, be ready to explain your relationship and whether you hold power of attorney, as data-protection rules limit what a provider can discuss without the patient's consent.

If your care may be NHS-funded, speak to your GP practice first: many services accept patients via GP referral, and a referral letter travels with your medical history, which speeds up triage at the receiving end. For privately funded care you can normally self-refer — ask for the service's current fee schedule and cancellation policy in writing before your first appointment.

The Lighthouse has not yet published opening hours on this profile (the official register does not capture them; they are added when a provider claims its listing). Ring the service (01702296006) to confirm today's hours before travelling — the two-minute call is cheaper than a wasted journey, especially around bank holidays.

If you have flexibility, avoid calling first thing on Monday, when demand across healthcare peaks; a Tuesday-to-Thursday mid-morning call usually gets answered quickest and gives reception the most room to help.

A first appointment at a healthcare provider is part assessment, part administration — and you control how productive the assessment half is.

Bring the paperwork that saves repeating yourself: a list of current medications with doses (a photo of the boxes works), any relevant hospital letters or test results, your NHS number if you know it, and glasses or hearing aids if you use them. If the appointment concerns someone you care for, bring evidence of any legal authority you hold — power of attorney documents change what staff can lawfully discuss with you.

Expect the first appointment to include identity and history checks, a discussion of what you need, and an examination or assessment appropriate to the service. Be direct about two things in particular: everything you are taking (including over-the-counter and herbal products), and what outcome you actually want — clinicians plan differently for "I want to be seen quickly" versus "I want the most thorough option".

Before you leave, make sure three questions have answers: what happens next, who does it, and when. Vague follow-up arrangements are where care most often goes adrift; a specific next step — a booked review, a named referral, a results date with a way to chase it — is the mark of a well-run service, and it is entirely reasonable to ask for it explicitly.

Costs depend on how you access the service. NHS-commissioned care is free at the point of use, though waiting times vary by area and specialty. Private care is paid either directly (self-pay) or through medical insurance — if you hold a policy, contact your insurer for pre-authorisation before booking, as most insurers require an authorisation number and some restrict which providers you can use.

For self-pay patients, reputable providers publish or supply on request a clear fee schedule covering the initial consultation, follow-ups and common procedures. Ask specifically about what is included: some quotes cover the consultation only, while others bundle diagnostics or aftercare. UK consumer law entitles you to transparent pricing before you commit to treatment.

The Lighthouse is located at Southchurch Avenue,Shoeburyness,Southend-on-sea, in the SS3 postcode district of Southend-On-Sea. The full postcode, SS3 9BA, will take you to the door with any sat-nav or maps app — or use the Google Maps link for this exact location.

Planning the journey is worth two minutes at booking time: ask whether parking is available on site or nearby if driving, and use the postcode in any journey planner for buses and trains. If you have mobility needs, say so when booking — services can advise on step-free access and the nearest accessible parking or drop-off point.

Think about journey frequency before fixating on any single provider: a one-off assessment justifies travel, but ongoing care multiplies every mile. With 120 providers of all types across Southend-On-Sea, most neighbourhoods — including SS3 — have credible options within a short journey.

Accessibility needs are best flagged in advance: step-free access, hearing loops, interpreters and longer appointments are all reasonable adjustments providers are expected to accommodate under the Equality Act, and a note on your booking makes the visit run as it should.

The right questions do more than fill an appointment — they reveal how a healthcare provider thinks. These are the ones that earn their place:

1. Who exactly will provide my care, and what is their professional registration?
2. What are the realistic timescales — first appointment, results, and treatment?
3. What will this cost in total, and what could add to that figure later?
4. What are the alternatives, including doing nothing for now?
5. How do you handle problems out of hours, and who do I contact?
6. What should I expect to feel or notice afterwards, and what would be a warning sign?
7. How will you keep my GP informed, and what gets written to my record?
8. If my needs change, how quickly can the plan change with them?

A good service treats this list as routine; defensiveness anywhere on it tells you something the inspection report may not.

Every provider on this site is registered with the Care Quality Commission — but registration is the floor, not the ceiling, and the public record lets you judge far more than the badge.

The CQC inspects against five questions — is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led — and publishes its findings. For The Lighthouse, the registered provider is Step by Step Recovery Limited. The most recent recorded check took place on 28 April 2023. The official CQC record for this location carries the current registration status, ratings where awarded, and every published inspection report.

The rating scale runs Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate — and context matters when reading it. Good is the expected standard, not a consolation prize; Outstanding is genuinely rare and usually reflects exceptional leadership culture rather than better equipment. A Requires Improvement rating deserves a closer look at which of the five questions dragged it down: a responsive shortfall (waiting times, complaint handling) is a different risk from a safe shortfall (medicines, staffing). Some location types are inspected without ratings at all, so an unrated service is not a warning sign in itself.

Reading a report efficiently: start with the well-led section (it predicts everything else), then safe. Look at the direction of travel across the last two inspections rather than a single snapshot, and treat "requires improvement" with a credible action plan differently from the same rating with repeated findings. If anything in a report concerns you, raising it with the service directly is both fair and revealing — well-run providers answer plainly.

Every patient of a CQC-registered service holds a set of enforceable rights, and knowing them changes how confidently you can act when something is not right.

You are entitled to informed consent — a genuine explanation of options, risks and alternatives before treatment, in language you understand, with interpreters provided where needed. You have a right of access to your own records under UK GDPR, free of charge in most cases, within a month of asking. And under the Equality Act, providers must make reasonable adjustments for disability — from step-free access to communication formats — as a legal duty, not a favour.

If care falls short, complain in stages: first to the provider itself (every registered service must operate an accessible complaints procedure and respond within a defined timescale); then, for NHS-funded care, to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman — or for privately funded care, to the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service where the provider subscribes. Local authority-funded social care complaints escalate to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Two further channels matter. The CQC does not investigate individual complaints, but it wants to hear about poor care — reports feed directly into inspection planning, and you can tell it anything in confidence via its website. And if you need help making a complaint about NHS care, every area has a statutory independent advocacy service that is free to use; your council can point you to the current provider.

Southend-On-Sea has 120 CQC-registered healthcare providers in total, of which 1 are healthcare providers — so genuine comparison is possible before you commit. The full Southend-On-Sea directory and the local rehabilitation (substance abuse) listing let you shortlist alongside this profile.

When comparing the 1 providers of this type in Southend-On-Sea, three checks separate a confident choice from a gamble. First, read the provider's most recent CQC inspection report — not just the headline rating but the safe and well-led sections, which reveal how the service actually runs. Second, confirm practical fit: opening hours, accessibility, and whether the location works for repeat visits. Third, ring the service and ask your specific questions; how a provider handles a first phone call tells you a great deal about how it treats its patients.

Where is The Lighthouse located?

The Lighthouse is at Southchurch Avenue,Shoeburyness,Southend-on-sea, SS3 9BA, in Southend-On-Sea (East region). The full postcode works in any sat-nav or journey planner.

How do I contact The Lighthouse?

Call 01702296006 during opening hours. For funding-route questions (NHS availability, fees), asking directly by phone gets the current position.

Is The Lighthouse regulated?

Yes — it is registered with the Care Quality Commission (location ID 1-3784383720) under the registered provider Step by Step Recovery Limited. Registration is a legal requirement for delivering this type of care in England and brings ongoing inspection.

When was The Lighthouse last checked by the CQC?

The most recent check recorded on the register took place on 28 April 2023. The full inspection history is on the official CQC record linked from this page.

Do I need a GP referral?

It depends on the funding route. NHS-funded care usually requires a GP or specialist referral, while privately funded patients can normally self-refer. Call the provider to confirm which routes it accepts.

What does CQC registration actually guarantee?

It guarantees the provider has met the fundamental standards for safety, staffing, governance and safeguarding required by law in England, and that it remains subject to ongoing inspection and enforcement by the regulator.

Does The Lighthouse treat NHS or private patients?

The public register does not record funding routes, and many providers serve both. Phone the service for the current position — NHS availability in particular changes as capacity fills and reopens, so today's answer beats anything a directory can cache.

Where does the information on this page come from?

Core details — name, address, registration, provider and specialisms — come from the Care Quality Commission register (Open Government Licence v3.0) and are refreshed monthly. Guidance sections reflect how services of this type work across the UK. Always confirm time-sensitive details such as opening hours directly with the provider.