This in from the council, in their own words.Ed
The contract will bring together drug and alcohol misuse services on the Island which are currently separate.
The new service will focus strongly on recovery-oriented treatment in line with changes in the National Drug Strategy – promoting interventions which encourage service users to exit treatment and re-engage fully with society.
It will provide a single point of contact for the general public and clinicians for easier referral to services.
Awarded by the council
The contract has been awarded by the Isle of Wight Council under its responsibility for public health – and includes an option to extend for a further two years.
It is estimated the new co-ordinated service will deliver significant savings compared to the combined cost of existing services.
The decision to commission a new service follows a detailed appraisal of provision by the commissioning group of the Island’s drug and alcohol action team. The appraisal included an extensive consultation with stakeholders.
Historically, local drug and alcohol treatment provision on the Island has been made up of separate services, including counselling, detoxification, young people’s services and residential rehabilitation.
During the consultation exercise it was also identified that members of the public were often confused as to which service should be accessed, depending on their particular personal issues.
Councillor Phil Jordan, Isle of Wight Council Executive member for public protection, said:
“We are very pleased to announce that this essential and highly important contract has been awarded.
“It heralds a far more co-ordinated and recovery-focused approach in line with the latest national guidance and following a full appraisal and consultation earlier this year.
“The Isle of Wight NHS Trust is exceptionally well-placed to meet the need for such a fully co-ordinated and expertly-provided service in line with both local and national requirements.
“Essentially, the aim of this new service will be for each individual seeking recovery from substance misuse to be able to access prompt, integrated support, treatment and aftercare – and to be helped to fully reintegrate into mainstream society.”
A total of three organisations submitted tenders for the contract. The Isle of Wight NHS Trust bid outlined a good range of clinical and group work services including some innovative proposals.
Launching in the autumn
It is intended the Isle of Wight NHS Trust will launch the new co-ordinated service on 1 October 2014. In the interim the existing services will continue.
Karen Baker, chief executive of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, said:
“This is fantastic news and we are really excited to have the opportunity to develop a service which really focuses on recovery, building on successes and offering seamless care for service users.
“We aim to break down barriers to provide an innovative and integrated service which, most importantly, involves service users and carers and puts them at its heart. We look forward to working alongside service users, carers and other agencies in both the statutory and voluntary sector to improve the lives of individuals and their families on the Island.”
Helping to prevent crime
Government national estimates show that drug treatment and recovery systems in England may prevent 19.6 million crimes over the period 2011/2012 to 2014/2015, with a saving to society of £3.6 billion.
Figures also show that dependent drinkers attend accident and emergency departments on average five times a year a year, and are twice as likely to visit their GPs compared to moderate drinkers.
