Planning and Provision of Drug Misuse Services
Innovative Practice in Drug Misuse Services
| EXAMPLE | COMMENTS |
| Primary Care | |
| GP Clinic Scheme Glasgow Contact: Dr L Gruer HIV and Addictions, Ruchill Hospital, Glasgow Tel: 0141 946 712 |
The largest primary care based scheme inthe UK. 75 GPs participate treating over 2,000 patients with methadone (90% supervised). Prescribing is to guidelines set 0out by the GPs with support of counselling.Educational evening meetings for the participating GPs and audit of the scheme has maintained a high standard of treatment and good results with a reduction in crime and improvements in health and social functioning. |
| Glasgow Drug Problem Service (GDPS) Contact: Dr Bob Scott, GDPS, Ruchill Hospital, Glasgow Tel: 0141 946 7120 |
A referral service for GPs in the Glasgow area working on a shared
care basis. The patients referred are intravenous drug users who have approached their GP
for help in reducing and controlling their problem. The GDPS undertakes to stabilise the §patient onmethadone and establish a more settled pattern of behaviour before dicharging the individual back to the referring GP. The GDPS works in a complementary manner to the Drug Clinic Scheme in Glasgow and has been one of the reasons for its success. |
| Supervised Methadone Consumption by Community Pharmacists in Glasgow Contact: Kay Roberts, Area Pharmacy Specialist in Drug Misuse, Community and Mental Health Trust, HIV AIDS Directorate, Dalian House, PO Box 15329, 350 StVincent Street, Glasgow, G3 8YZ |
139 out of 212 community pharmacies in the Greater Glasgow Health Board district are involved in supervising daily methadone consumption of drug misusers. As a result about 76% of all methadone self administration in these pharmacies is supervised, reducing the possibility of the diversion of prescribed methadone onto the illicit market. |
| Community Drug Problem Service (CDPS) Contact: Dr Fiona Watson, CDPS, Spittal Street Centre, 22-24 Spittal Street, Edinburgh EH39DU Tel: 0131 537 8345 |
Established in 1988 to support GPs in Lothian to work in a shared care approach with drug users. Offers assessment, prescribing, advice, counselling and support to drug users by GPs and other agencies. Works collaboratively with non-statutory and social care services. |
| Lothian GP Facilitator Team Contact: Dr Judy Bury, Spittal Street Centre, 22-24 Spittal Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9DU Tel: 0131 537 8373 |
This team works alongside the Community Drug Problem Service
supporting GPs and primary care teams to work with drug users. Support is given to local
practices through regular courses, meetings and practice visits. Over a number of years the team, with the participation of a group of local GPs, has produced a series of bi-monthly sheets distributed to all GPs in Lothian. These provide guidance about the management of drug users and the management of those infected with HIV. The team was also responsible for the production of the Lothian handbook Managing Drug Users in General Practice. |
| Lothian Pilot Support Scheme for GP Practices Caring for Drug Users in Lothian Contact: Dr Judy Bury, Spittal Street Centre, 22-24 Spittal Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9DU Tel: 0131 537 8373 |
This pilot project began in 1995. By March 1997, 73 practices (over 70% of those known to care for drug users) had joined the scheme. Practices taking part are offered financial support for offering care to drug users about their drug use beyond general medical services and in accordance with agreed guidelines. The scheme has been evaluated by the Centre for HIV and AIDS Drugs Studies. |
| Specialist Services | |
| Ayrshire Dual Diagnosis Team Contact: Dr C Lind, Consultant Psychiatrist, Loudoun House, Ailsa Hospital, Dalmellington Road, Ayr, KA6 6AB Tel: 01292613811 |
This consists of 2 Community Mental Health Nurses and part time
input from a Senior Registrar and Consultant Psychiatrist. It provides a service for those with mental health and addiction diagnoses and also provides a high level of support for mental health workers working with addiction problems. The team has expertise in dealing with the problems of drug misuse in rural areas. |
| Care Management Project Contact: Sheena Robertson, Fife Council Social Work, East Fergus Place, Kirkcaldy, Fife KY11XT, Tel: 01592 412 424 |
This project targets the needs of young adults who have chronic mental health problems exacerbated by the dual diagnosis of alcohol and/or substance misuse. It uses an outreach approach and provides an intensive case management service. Specific services are also provided for people who have further complications of a history of sexual abuse and for supported accommodation in the community. |
| Home Detoxification for Drug Users Contact: Gail Sabbatini, Bentinck Centre, East Netherton Street, Kilmarnock KA1 4AX, Tel: 01563 574237 |
This is part of an area wide home detoxification scheme for alcohol and drug users. Its practices are similar to that of other alcohol home detoxification services. It works extremely closely with the staff of the dedicated detoxification beds in Crosshouse Hospital. The annual target is for 2,000 detoxifications of which 14% relate to opiate misuse. |
| Ayrshire Multi-agency Training Forum Contact: Steve Lydon, Addiction Services, Dundonald Health Centre, Newfield Drive, Dundonald, Tel: 01563 851338 |
This provides a forum whereby the training, support and educational needs of both the specialist agencies and generic workers can be assessed and appropriately responded to. It also provides the basis of a high level of integration between health promotion and clinical work. It provides a forum for training needs on a multi-agency basis addressing issues such as co-ordination of role and skill matching. |
| Turning Point: Glasgow Drug Crisis Centre (GDCC) Contact: Mr Andrew Horne, GDCC, 123 West Street, Glasgow Tel: 0141 420 6969 |
Deals with all aspect of the individuals' problems from legal to
housing to medical. Provides a 24 hour crisis intervention service for people with drug related problems, comprising one-stop assessment service (including GP assessment, information, advice, counselling), 12-bed emergency short stay facility, detoxification and stabilisation. Twelve bed residential unit admits those considered to be in most crisis and arranges either detoxification or stabilisation of prescribing and arranges a care plan and onward referral to rehabilitation or alternative treatments. |
| Links Project, Edinburgh Contact: Joyce Parker, Project Manager The Links Project 5 Links Place Edinburgh EH6 7EZ Tel: 01315553508 |
The Links Project provides a residential crisis centre, which is
unique in catering for a range of needs. Providing respite care, detoxification, reduction or stabilisation. |
| Harm Reduction Team, Lothian Contact: Jim Shanley, Spittal Street Centre, 22-24 Spittal Street, Edinburgh, EH39DU Tel: 0131 537 8326 |
Established in 1988. It co-ordinates pharmacy-based needle exchange
scheme, provides support and training to non- statutory drug agencies on local needle
availability and runs a Roadshow bus, offering information and advice to young people on
safer drug use/safer sex. The team has recently begun to provide, in conjunction with the Community Drug Problem Service, a Low Threshold Methadone Scheme for chaotic injecting drug users, with daily supervised methadone consumption. |
| Place After Care and Recovery Project (PARC) Contact: Archie Clark, PARC 200 Balmore Road Possilpark Glasgow G22 6LJ Tel: 0141 336 5200 |
PARC runs a sixth month aftercare programme for drug users. The programme includes creative writing and music workshops, SCOTVEC communication modules and a range of other training and support. |
| Harm Reduction Team, Tayside, Steroid Clinic Contact: Lesley-Anne Brown, Harm Reduction Team Constitution House, Constitution Road Dundee, DD3 1LB Tel: 01382 201919 |
This service was developed from the needle exchange and provides a range of services to steroid users. |
| ESHARA, Govanhill Social Work Department Contact : Ghazala Ahqir-Haq, 311 Calder Street, Govanhill, Glasgow, G42 7NL Tel: 0141 424 4022 Fax: 0141 424 3247 |
ESHARA aims to raise awareness of drug and alcohol related issues
throughout all generations of black and ethnic minority communities, and to provide
culturally sensitive information and support to individuals and families from these
communities who are experiencing difficulties due to drug and alcohol use. ESHARA also
aims to enhance existing services by providing a culturally aware approach. Community languages used: |
| Information and Research | |
| Centre for HIV/AIDS and Drug Studies (CHADS), Lothian Health Contact: Roger Lewis, Operational Director, Ward 14a, City Hospital, Greenbank Drive, Edinburgh, EH10 5SB Tel: 0131 536 6595 |
CHADS monitors HIV and problem drug use in Edinburgh and the Lothians, evaluating and advising on related service activities. Its current research priorities include the geographical mapping of drug misuse by local districts, analysis of the drugs/crime nexus, good practice in outreach work, and trends in synthetic drug use. |
| Women and Children | |
| The Aberlour Child Care Trust Contact: Mrs Joy Barlow, Assistant Director, Aberlour Child Care Trust, 36 Park Terrace, Stirling, FK82JR Tel: 01786 450335 |
Is responsible for the setting up and provision of pioneering
innovative services in Scotland for women with problems associated with substance misuse
and their children. The organisation provides residential rehabilitation, non-residential
care, supportive accommodation and outreach services. Projects in Edinburgh and Glasgow
provide a continuum of care for families, tackling issues related to problem drug/alcohol
use. The projects enable the family unit to stay together during the rehabilitation process. This process is an interactive one, where each member of the family can support and help the other, with help from experienced, trained and empathetic staff. |
| Women's Reproductive Health Service (WHRS) Glasgow Contact: Dr Mary Hepburn, WRHS, Royal Maternity Hospital, Glasgow, G4 0NA Tel: 0141 211 5400 |
A service that cares for the pregnant drug users in the Glasgow area as well as the gynaecological and family planning needs of this and other vulnerable groups. With over 100 deliveries a year this is the biggest dedicated service in the country and has booking times similar to the non drug using patient group. The experience of this service has been utilised for training purposes by many departments both nationally and internationally. |
| Drop-in centre for women drug users, Glasgow Contact: AndreaDenovan Tel: 0141 204 3712 |
The aim of the drop in centre is to provide an easily accessible and self referring support and health care service to women who work as prostitutes. The work of the centre is confidential and non-judgmental, meeting the needs of female prostitutes in a safe place, where information and advice is provided alongside a medical service. |
| Criminal Justice | |
| Grampian Regional Council: Substance Misuse Training Packs Contact: Aberdeen City Council Social Work Department, StNicholas House, Broad Street,Aberdeen,AB101BY Tel:01224522000 |
Three training packs - aimed primarily at criminal justice social workers - one of which provides an assessment tool, and two which provide differentiated programmes to tackle the problems of drug misusers subject to mandatory supervision, based around the severity of their substance misuse problem. |
| NCH - Action for Children, Intensive Probation Alternatives to Custody Project, Greenock Contact: Paul Carberry Tel: 01475 727363 |
Provides medical group work programmes to high risk offenders, as part of a probation order. |
| Harm Reduction Programme: HM Prison Edinburgh Contact: David Black, HM Prison Edinburgh, 33 Stenhouse Road, Edinburgh, EH11 3LN Tel: 0131 444 3000 |
Treatment of drug misusers on entry into prison, with medical care,
support and education. A drug treatment programme based on a 28 day detoxification combined with group work is provided by prison staff, the prison Social Work Unit, community based statutory and voluntary agencies. |
| Aberdeen Prison Drug Work, HMPrison Aberdeen Contact: Mike Murray, HM Prison Aberdeen, Craiginches, Aberdeen, AB12NE Tel: 01224 876868 |
A drug worker post is managed by the Aberdeen Drug Service, but based primarily in the prison. Ensures throughcare for drug misusers in prison and upon release from prison. |
| User Involvement | |
| Lothian User Involvement Project (SDF) Contact: Greg McFarlane Scottish Drugs Forum, 40 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh, EH2 4RT Tel: 0131 220 2584 |
The User Involvement Project managed by SDF took forward an
important area of work. Edinburgh has more user groups reported on the Internet than any
other British city. They play an important role in informing service specifications and
conducting prevention work, particularly with respect to mortalities and HIV. Funding of
the development project ceased in March 1997. |