DDN Magazine April 2023 DDN April_2023 | Page 7

Drilling into the detail

THE DATA There were 535 data submissions – 347 were from treatment providers , 165 from commissioners and 23 from LEROs . Most provider submissions were from voluntary organisations ( 78 per cent ) followed by the NHS ( 18 per cent ), and the independent / private sector ( 4 per cent ). Submissions from LA commissioners included those reporting activity for commissioning staff only ( 72 per cent ), those including activity for treatment staff employed by the LA ( 19 per cent ) and those that sent submissions including both commissioning and treatment staff ( 9 per cent ). By service type , most submissions were for community treatment and recovery services ( 69 per cent ) followed by young people ’ s services ( 20 per cent ), residential rehab ( 8 per cent ) and inpatient detox ( 4 per cent ).
PARTICIPATION Participation rates per sector were 89 per cent for local authorities , 81 per cent for treatment providers and 60 per cent for LEROs . ‘ The percentage of LEROs who participated was based on a partial list and although this grew over the course of the project , remained incomplete ,’ says the document , meaning the information should be viewed as ‘ indicative rather than definitive ’. The list of treatment providers also changed – expanding from lead providers submitting to NDTMS to also include submissions from sub-contracted services for a more comprehensive view .
GEOGRAPHY The census received submissions from all sectors for all seven HEE regions – East of England , London , Midlands , North East and Yorkshire , North West , South East and South West . Most independent / private sector submissions were from the North West , and most submissions for LEROs were from London and the Midlands , although there was at least one for each region .
WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION Workforce transformation is a key function of HEE , to support the development of a workforce that ’ s responsive to change . ‘ Workforce transformation is a process , driven by improving the way we recruit , retain , deploy , develop and continue to support the healthcare workforce , to meet the growing and changing needs of local populations – ensuring high quality care for the patients of today and the future ,’ HEE states . ‘ COVID19 in particular has shown us how imperative it is to have a skilled , flexible and resilient workforce , able to adapt quickly in times of crisis to deliver the best healthcare possible in a way that works for all .’
The findings of the report have informed the soonto-be-published Drugs and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce strategic framework , and will also support the forthcoming comprehensive workforce strategic implementation plan
WATERSHED MOMENT A striking element of the census – and one that represents a watershed moment in the sector ’ s development – is the growing presence of LEROs in the field , making it clear that Carol Black ’ s foregrounding of the importance of lived experience has been taken on board .
Although the document points out that some findings related to LEROs should be interpreted with caution because of the comparatively lower number of submissions , 46 per cent of the LERO workforce were in peer support and service user development roles , compared to 9 per cent of the treatment providers workforce .
Service managers , meanwhile , accounted for 17 per cent compared to 23 per cent for treatment providers . Seventeen per cent of the LERO workforce were volunteering or in unpaid
roles , while almost 80 per cent were on band 4 or below ( up to £ 26k ). This compares with 12 per cent of treatment provider staff being unpaid or volunteers . At 34 per cent , a similar proportion of the LERO workforce had been in post for a year or less when compared to treatment providers .
Just over 40 per cent of the LERO workforce were on permanent contracts , and the same for fixed , while 17 per cent were on temporary contracts , whereas almost 85 per cent of staff at treatment providers were on permanent contracts . Just under 60 per cent of LERO staff worked full time , meanwhile , compared almost 70 per cent in treatment providers .
OLDER WORKFORCE Across the workforce as a whole , the percentage of staff from a Black / Black British ethnic minority background was between 5 and 9
per cent , compared to 4 per cent of the working-age population in England as a whole . However , the percentage who were Asian / Asian British was between 4 and 8 per cent , compared to 9 per cent of the working age general population . The sector ’ s staff meanwhile , is generally older than the working age population as a whole with higher percentages of staff in the 40-49 and 50-59 age bands .
The findings of the report have informed the soon-to-bepublished Drugs and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce strategic framework , says HEE , and will also support the forthcoming comprehensive workforce strategic implementation plan .
Drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services : national workforce census at www . hee . nhs . uk / our-work / mental-health / drug-alcohol-treatment-recoveryworkforce-programme
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