ResouRces
The new UKAN website
lets you tap into expertise
when you need it.
Pardeep Grewal explains
HELP AT HAND
SOMETIMES WE WANT TO ASK A QUESTION , share
an experience, get help with a tricky situation or just let off
some steam. For this we really need a network of like-minded
people. You might be one of the lucky ones working in a stable
team that never changes, or where expert advice and
supervision is readily available. Unfortunately, the rest of us
are left wanting.
Recovery workers, if they ever come up for air, struggle to
connect with peers or ask questions. There is a good argument
that volunteers, psychologists, dual diagnosis specialists,
administrators, pharmacist and others working in addictions
need access to a supportive online community, where they can
meet peers, open up, share knowledge and be curious.
UK Addiction Network (UKAN) is aimed squarely at these
groups. It is free to join and works a little like the groups you find
on Facebook and LinkedIn. The big difference is that UKAN is
designed specifically for people working in addictions and offers
the wider range of discussion topics, forums, polls and blogs.
Content is sensibly moderated by the UKAN team, all of whom
work in the field and seem to know their stuff. And there is
strength in numbers; if you have a thorny problem at work there
is good chance there is a UKAN member out there who can help.
The person behind the idea is Georges Petitjean. Trained in
Belgium and London, he has an interest in how groups can
function better. He recently found himself working in a busy
residential detoxification unit. The pace was frenetic, with little
time for networking or peer support. The small but dedicated
team of doctors, nurses, recovery workers and volunteers were
all left to get on with things. They muddled along but
inevitably came up against situations with no easy answer.
Georges remembers a typical situation. ‘It was Friday
evening and I was assessing a new patient who had been
admitted for a benzodiazepine detox. He said he was allergic
to diazepam. I wasn’t sure what to do. My line manager had
left work already and I didn’t know who to turn to.’ Then it
occurred to him that there might be another way of accessing
support: ‘Wouldn't it be great if we could post a question
online to all the people working in detox units in the UK?’
The idea chimed with his colleagues, especially those
working in small teams and where access to a peer support
was limited. His hunch was right; people naturally connected
online with new peers and colleagues, sharing knowledge and
making friends on the way. ‘We searched the web,’ Georges
22 | drinkanddrugsnews | October 2017
explained, ‘but it was mostly full of adverts or commercial
providers. There was nothing for people like us. So the decision
to start UKAN was pretty straightforward. The site just needed
to be accessible, useful, fun and free.’ He has extended the
concept to allow members to upload a few photos of
themselves. In fact, a photo is now required to register and
helps ensure transparency.
The site is certainly straightforward and accessible. You are
greeted by a simple newsfeed on a distinctive crimson border
and the site is absent of clutter and advertising. The intention
is to keep it as free access, funded by money from training,
workshops and learning. What UKAN does not do is dictate
official guidelines and standards as FDAP, RCGP and others are
available for that. But for those interested in learning, there is
plenty on offer.
The site has an e-learning foundation programme, with all
the necessary elements for good practice, such as assessment,
harm reduction, treatment an