The Causeway Retreat was an

addiction treatment Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general inte ...

centre located on

Osea Island Osea Island ( oe, Ōsgȳþes īeg, "Osyth's island"), formerly also Osey, is an inhabited island in the estuary of the River Blackwater, Essex, East England. It is approximately in size and is connected to the north bank of the river by a cau ...

near

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, which operated from 2005 to 2010.

History

In 1903, Frederick Nicholas Charrington, who had disinherited himself from his family's brewing business and become a prominent temperance campaigner in London's East End, purchased an island off the coast of

Maldon, Essex Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is produced ...

called

. During Mr. Charrington's time, the island provided free treatment to those individuals suffering from the ill effects of alcohol and opiate

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

. In return for treatment, clients would remain on the island and work the land. The island was eventually requisitioned by the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

and subsequently turned into a top secret

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

manufacturing base for both World Wars. In 2005, Brendan Quinn, a

psychiatric nurse Psychiatric nursing or mental health nursing is the appointed position of a nurse that specialises in mental health, and cares for people of all ages experiencing mental illnesses or distress. These include: neurodevelopmental disorders, schizophr ...

with a diploma in addiction treatment, founded The Causeway Retreat for addiction treatment on

Osea island Osea Island ( oe, Ōsgȳþes īeg, "Osyth's island"), formerly also Osey, is an inhabited island in the estuary of the River Blackwater, Essex, East England. It is approximately in size and is connected to the north bank of the river by a cau ...

, with business partner

Nigel Frieda Nigel Quentin Frieda (born August 1952) is a British record producer, property owner of the Osea Island in the estuary of the River Blackwater, Essex. Early life Nigel Quentin Frieda was born the son of Isidore Frieda, a Jewish hairdresser, sa ...

, a

music producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

. Although The Causeway Retreat was closed down, the island continues to be used as a non-profit retreat by former servicemen and women suffering from

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

News reports of licensing and other problems

In March 2010, The Causeway Retreat was reported to be under investigation by the UK health regulator

Care Quality Commission The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom. It was established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. I ...

(CQC), which regulates NHS trusts and private clinics. Licensing, staffing, supply of medicines and the role of the charitable arm Changing Lives were listed as areas to be examined. On 29 April 2010, a further report claimed that the Care Quality Commission had ordered the retreat to close, after it had admitted new patients despite a request not to do so pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations that it was treating patients without a licence under the Care Standards Act. The CQC was reported to have asked the retreat to remove its clients and close its doors within a week. It was also reported that some families whose relatives had been treated at the retreat had launched legal action against it. The Causeway Retreat was refused registration on 30 September 2010 by the Care Quality Commission, and Brendan Quinn was suspended as a nurse by the Nursing and Midwifery Council on 20 September 2010. On 19 November 2010 Brendan Quinn's Twenty 7 Management, which had run the Causeway Retreat, pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Magistrate's Court, was fined £8,000 plus £30,000 costs, for running an unlicensed hospital. District Judge David Cooper said the firm's standards "would really shame a third world country".

References

External links

CQC takes action on The Causeway Retreat: CQC Press Release 14 June 2010

Depressed? You will be when you check in here: Prue Leith, The Spectator, 11 July 2009
Drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers Addiction organisations in the United Kingdom {{DEFAULTSORT:Causeway Retreat