KEY TO SERVICES
Click on the links below to see the service descriptions
Aftercare Activities Assessment and Care Planning Community Prescribing Complementary Therapy Counselling
Drug Intervention Programmes Hepatitis B Vaccinations Housing Support Information and Support In-patient Detox
Needle Exchange One to One Work Outreach Programmes Structured Group Work Main Navigation Links
AFTERCARE ACTIVITIESAftercare is a package of support that is put in place for clients when they leave structured treatment (after the end of their care plan), or for offenders when they leave or complete community sentences, or are released from prison (remand or sentenced). The aim of aftercare is to sustain treatment gains and further develop community reintegration. Aftercare may include drug-related interventions, open access relapse prevention or harm reduction. It may also include non-drug related support such as housing, access to education, generic health and social care.
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ASSESSMENT & CARE PLANNINGA two-way process between a service user and an assessor to establish immediate and longer terms needs, and develop a care plan of actions to meet those needs. Comprehensive assessment aims to determine the exact nature of the client’s drug and alcohol problems, and co-existing problems in the other domains of health (mental and physical), social functioning and offending. Assessment may be conducted by more than one member of a multidisciplinary team, because different competencies may be necessary to assess different areas of client need. Assessment should be an ongoing process rather than a single event.
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COMMUNITY PRESCRIBINGThis involves the provision of care-planned specialised drug treatment, which includes the prescribing of drugs to treat drug misuse.
The range of community prescribing interventions can include:
• Stabilisation on substitute opioids, including dose titration
• Maintenance prescribing for a sustained period to substitute illicit drugs
• Prescribing for withdrawal from opioids (community detoxification)
• Prescribing to prevent relapse
• Stabilisation and withdrawal from sedatives
• Detoxification from alcohol where appropriate
• Treatment for stimulant users, which may include symptomatic prescribing
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COMPLEMENTARY THERAPYOffered in both community-based and residential drug services providing a range of complementary therapies including: auricular acupuncture, homeopathic medicines and teas, visualisation, shiatsu and reflexology. Therapies are reported to help with the withdrawal and relieve stress. Staff providing these therapies should hold appropriate qualifications.
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COUNSELLINGCounselling is defined by the British Association of Counselling as “providing an opportunity for the service user to work towards living in a way he or she experiences as more satisfying and resourceful”. This activity takes place within a deliberately undertaken contract with clearly agreed boundaries and commitment to privacy and confidentiality. It requires explicit and informed agreement. Staff should be adequately trained and hold qualifications to provide counselling. It is important that people requesting counselling should find out about the philosophy/approach being offered as counselling can vary depending on a person's training. Counselling services usually offer service users a choice of counsellor. The assessment interview is a good time for service users to check out what counselling involves prior to starting.
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DRUG INTERVENTION PROGRAMMESDrug Intervention Programmes provide an end-to-end service (enhanced Tier 2) for drug users who are within the criminal justice system. The DIP teams provide a range of support services through the various stages of the justice system and beyond:
• police custody
• courts and probation
• prison
• referral to treatment
• throughcare and aftercare
Special measures for children and young people are also being implemented.
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HEPATITIS B VACCINATIONSPreventing the spread of blood-borne diseases is a major goal of drug treatment services and a major contribution to individual and public health. A range of services which may be offered, including some or all of the following:
• health screening for blood-borne infections in order to identify health needs and problems
• explore issues relating to their health as a result of substance use/misuse and identify ways of achieving a healthier lifestyle
• assess risk behaviours associated with drug and alcohol use and provide interventions that will help prevent further harms and consequences, eg. advice and education on the transmission of hepatitis B & C and HIV
• provide access to testing for hepatitis B & C and HIV
• provide access to hepatitis B vaccination
• provide a comprehensive pathway of care for those who require healthcare relating to blood-borne diseases
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HOUSING SUPPORTWhereas, many services will provide basic information and referral for housing issues, full housing support is a specialised service to provide or identify suitable living accommodation for people with a history of drug or alcohol misuse. Housing may be provided within a hostel, through supported accommodation or within a residential treatment setting.
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INFORMATION AND SUPPORTDrug and alcohol (substance misuse) related advice and information interventions should provide appropriate advice and accurate, up-to-date information on a range of substance misuse related issues, including:
• information about different drugs and their effects
• advice about stopping misuse of drugs and alcohol
• information on how to reduce the potential harm from drug misuse (eg. safer injecting, reducing overdose risks, etc)
• how and where to access help for drug problems
• how and where to access help for other problems (eg. housing, sexual health etc)
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IN-PATIENT DETOXIn-patient interventions usually involve short episodes of hospital based (or equivalent) drug and alcohol medical treatment. This normally includes 24-hour medical cover and multidisciplinary team support for treatment such as:
• medically supervised assessment
• stabilisation on substitute medication
• detoxification from illegal and substitute drugs
• specialist in-patient treatments for stimulant users
• emergency medical care for drug users in crisis
In-patient drug treatment should be provided within a care plan with an identified keyworker. The care plan should address drug and alcohol misuse, health needs, offending behaviour and social functioning where appropriate.
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NEEDLE EXCHANGENeedle exchange facilities are located in open access (Tier 2 services), or community pharmacies (Tier 1). Sometimes needle and syringe exchange services are also provided in mobile vans, especially in rural places. Needle and syringe exchange schemes offer a range of injecting equipment as well as a service for the disposal of used equipment. In addition, staff offer harm minimisation or risk reduction advice and information. Some needle exchange service also offer on-site vaccination programmes for Hepatitis B. The service can also act as a point of referral into other services.
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ONE TO ONE WORKOne to one work can have a different interpretation between services, so it is important that service users clarify what is being offered. Generally one-to-one is not counselling. It usually involves a member of staff being allocated as a key worker. Their role is to meet with the service user regularly, check progress against the care plan, provide advice and information; and give general support e.g. letters to housing etc. In some services staff may also be expected to do all the therapeutic work, this could include; motivational work, lapse/relapse prevention, coping skills and behaviour change work. Some services may also work within a philosophy, eg. harm reduction or abstinence, this is important to check when engaging with a service.
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OUTREACH PROGRAMMESOutreach work is a method of delivering interventions in settings external to a service's usual site. The aims of outreach work are:
• to provide services to those unable or unwilling to access site-based services, including ‘hard to reach’ groups such as young people, black and minority ethnic communities, women, the housebound (eg. because of physical or psychological illness) and those living at distance from services (eg. in rural areas)
• to provide health education opportunities for drug misusers not currently accessing site-based services
• to provide harm minimisation/risk reduction services to drug misusers not currently accessing site-based services (eg. needle exchange, provision of condoms)
• to make initial contact with drug misusers to facilitate referral to site-based services
Services can include the provision of advice and information, brief interventions, sterile injecting equipment and, in some instances, care-planned counselling.
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STRUCTURED GROUP WORKUsually offered as part of a programme of defined activities for a fixed period of time. Service users usually attend the programme according to specified attendance criteria, and follow a set timetable that will include group work, covering psychosocial interventions, educational and life skills activities. Some service users may attend as a follow-on or precursor to other treatment types, or may be attending as part of a criminal justice programme supervised by the probation service, or community rehabilitation.
Group work is normally run in community based services, set in centres that have been specifically designated for the programme (purpose-built or converted) and have rooms designated for specific parts of the programme (eg. group work, life skills etc).
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Users should note that the information included in this directory, and any linked sites, is supplied by the organisations themselves. Whilst reasonable effort has been taken to ensure that accurate and up-to-date information is presented, Hants DAAT and WMC Limited cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided nor do they assume any liability or give any warranty of any kind for the information, quality of services or activities offered, or any actions taken arising from use of the directory.