Surveys
Connecting through experience
DDN welcomed two research teams to
‘Get Connected’, to carry out their surveys
in the exhibition area throughout the day.
Here each team explains their project’s aims
HOW DO YOU RECOVER?
An international collaboration, led by Sheffield Hallam University and funded by the
National Institute for Health Research, is undertaking a longitudinal study on
recovery pathways and societal responses. Called REC-PATH, the project will assess
pathways to addiction recovery in England, Scotland, Netherlands and Belgium.
We were pleased to attend the DDN Get Connected conference and meet many
incredibly strong and brave people in recovery and service providers supporting
them. We are delighted with DDN’s support and the partnership that is
characteristic of work in this area.
Recovery in the UK has been a dominant
policy since 2010, and we have witnessed
many successes along the road so far. Yet,
recovery orientated policies and practices in
non-English speaking countries have only
recently been introduced and have not been
fully implemented. Our study attempts to
assess ‘structural’ variations in recovery policy
and practice, comparing the UK with the
Netherlands and Belgium – countries only
beginning to embed a recovery model in
substance use policy.
The aim is to better understand the
impact of UK recovery policy and the early impact of recovery policy in the
Netherlands and Belgium by looking at recovery orientated strategies and
interventions individuals are engaging with, while addressing more universal
questions about mechanisms of behaviour change and life course transitions.
We know from the evidence that 58 per cent of people with addiction do
recover. Less clear are what mechanisms of change promote recovery in women and
in men, and what role policy has on recovery pathways.
Our project uses a life-course method to understand what recovery approaches
have been beneficial to individuals in different stages of recovery: early (less than
one year); sustained (one to five years); and stable (five years and more).
From the participants completing the Life in Recovery survey, we will recruit 150
people (fifty in each stage of recovery) in each country. Participants will be
‘We would like to
invite you to help
build our under -
standing of how
people recover.’
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interviewed on two occasions, at baseline and one-year follow-up, with 30
recruited for an in-depth interview at the one-year follow-up. The aim is to assess
the role of five Mechanisms Of Behaviour Change for Recovery (MOBCR) and their
impact at different stages in the addiction/recovery career.
The MOBCRs are:
i. natural recovery
ii. 12-step mutual aid
iii. peer-based recovery support
iv. residential treatment
v. specialist community treatment
We would like to invite you to help build our understanding of how people recover.
This is critical to improving recovery policy and practice. Together with people who
have overcome an addiction problem, we want to show that recovery from
addiction is possible. We want to find out more about your recovery, because
sharing your experiences can help other people with an addiction.
Please join the recovery community and visit www.rec-path.co.uk for more
information about REC-PATH and to complete the Life in Recovery survey.
YOUR SAY IN SHAPING TREATMENT SERVICES
The Expert Faculty on Commissioning asked about experiences of treatment for
problematic opioid use to inform future care planning.
The approach to care for people with drug problems or problematic opioid use
has improved greatly – progress based on adopting new approaches and
innovation. In the future, understanding the views of service users and people in
recovery is important in making decisions about care.
Results of a survey of the ‘lived experience’ of the drug treatment services are now
available. The survey was run by Mark Gilman, former recovery lead at Public Health
England, and is the third assessment of the opinions of people involved in this area.
Responses highlighted a need for greater patient input in development of
personal treatment plans as well as in wider decisions on service provision. Only 33
per cent of participants felt treatment services provide them with choice tailored to
their individual needs and goals, while just 26 per cent stated there was effective
representation of patient or service user voices in national decisions about care.
The survey highlights that service users and people in recovery are keen to
participate in the discussion and planning for the future of treatment.
Lived experience should inform the future of innovative care for people with
problematic opioid use. Let us connect the service users and the people in recovery to
the decision-makers and build on what we have, to make future services even better.
Detailed results of the 2018 annual survey will be presented at the congress of
the Expert Faculty on Commissioning (EXCO) on 22 June in Manchester.
More information at www.expertfaculty.org
March 2018 | drinkanddrugsnews | 9