Service User Comment On The NTA Treatment Effectiveness Strategy

In July 2005 the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse launched its new "Treatment Effectiveness Strategy" which is aimed at improving the service user's journey into, through and beyond treatment In view of this, eight people who use services met to learn something of the strategy, and discuss what 'effective treatment' means to them.

'Help people to help themselves. You are only going to have that worker there for so long and after that what are you going to do if you have got problems? It is important to know what support is there if you ever need it again!'

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The NTA aim to meet their objectives by improving engagement and access to treatment (within 3 weeks), with better harm reduction services and support by; improving the numbers of service users retained in treatment for longer; improving the delivery of drug treatment and the social care service users need to improve their quality of lives.

They also aim, through a national care planning and review tool, to give clients more choices upon leaving treatment with more options for inpatient detoxification and residential rehabilitation, and the choice to be maintained by a GP etc instead of a specialist drug treatment provider.

They further aim to improve access and provide better opportunities for service users to be reintegrated into the community, with improved links into work, education, and housing for clients on long term maintenance as well as those who can leave treatment.

Their underpinning aim is to set a standard for treatment providers across all local drug treatment systems to improve the quality for all.

Notes and Quotes

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Flexible treatment will keep people coming back until they are ready for help.
The attitude of worker is important.

"more options"all you deal with is the physical aspects of addiction, substituting street drugs for prescribed drugs"you don't actually deal with the psychological stuff and until you do you are not really going to make any progress. You are not going to a street dealer, you are going to a pharmacist for your drugs, but you are still dependent on that substance and until they address why you are using that substance they are not going to change that fact are they? How long are they going to keep you maintained for? A year, 2 years, 5? But you have still got the issues why you are actually using substances. Nobody wants to deal with them issues " they think give everyone a script and that's it. You need to address 'why' people are using substances"counselling, N.A. meetings, therapeutic ways of dealing with causes of drug use!"

Faster scripts help. Treatment should be more personal and more individual, it should be about tailored treatments and individual treatment plans.

"Treatment has to be more personal than just collecting a script, people need to know what services will benefit service users"
"Its not something that somebody is telling them to do, its something that they are joining in and dealing with at the same time as well as the worker, they are doing it together. More involvement from the client is good."

More education around treatment available/prescribed drugs and the effect of drugs on your body. Treatment has to be tailored around a person's motivation:

"the only time when someone is going to stop taking drugs is when they want to - a person in their own mind will stop when they want to. You have to find out what a service user wants - take it step by step!"

More diversionary services to help a person readjust to life in the community:

"most people who are taking drugs, they get into that cycle, they get into that habit and when they actually do stop taking drugs there is a big gap to fill in. Its alright coming down to a day service and doing all of the activities, that keeps them occupied, but you have got to help that person how to re-learn how to integrate back into society"

Improved housing related support, home visits, housing advice, information around housing decisions, more available housing and funding:

" I have a problem with accommodation"if you haven't got somewhere to call your own it brings you down"

"when you are trying to get yourself positive, go forward at college and sort your issues out and if you haven't got any accommodation then that just sets you back in a big way! You are trying to sort yourself out and then you get to a certain point and then you are stuck there and can't go any further because you have got no address " when you have got that then you can move on with your life can't you!"

Educational support and better links with employment agencies and employers direct to help overcome barriers into employment such as convictions. More employment advice/careers advice to enable service users to decide what they can do.

""more help getting into work " you can easily slip back into what you were doing before if you didn't have any work on, if you were working 12 hours a day you wouldn't have time!"

"its all about breaking out of that cycle " getting out of there and doing something different"

Support for family and friends, getting family involved in the treatment process. Showing what people are trying to do and change:

"for some the best support you can get is from your family lets face it, so if you can get your family back on your side then its going to keep you going basically"

Having that 3rd party to support, advocate, mediate " someone who can link with others and other organisations!

Support from people who can 'help you help yourself'.

"you can access most of the services out there in the community, and instead of turning to a certain organisation and expecting a certain worker to be there for you 24/7, and if they are not there for you then you have got the hump - it would be better for us to be taught how to go out and access that help. Help people to help themselves. You are only going to have that worker there for so long and after that what are you going to do if you have got problems? It is important to know what support is there if you ever need it again!"

The full details of the NTA Treatment Effectiveness Strategy can be accessed at http://www.nta.nhs.uk