‘ The GPs would Google what ketamine was in front of them’, and offer either unsuitable pain management medication or treatment for UTIs they’ d tested negative for.‘ So we |
‘ We saw the need for peer-led support groups specifically for ketamine, which is something I hadn’ t found in my years of trying to get clean and sober. So we set it up.’ |
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thought, let’ s go to the base of the problem – education and GPs. We looked at four things: information –‘ assume they know nothing’ – harm reduction advice, clinical presentations, and communication. Young people want to trust that you’ re listening to them.’
EFFECTIVE PATHWAYS When the young people were referred to hospital there was often a waiting list of up to two years, she said.‘ We know that with long-term use you cause irreversible damage, so what use is that referral? So we needed to look at effective pathways. With persistence and many emails we approached pain management and urology and got two consultants onboard.’
It became apparent that the young people also had a wide range of other problems, she said – mental health, schooling issues, losing contact with their families.‘ So we decided to do something different – let’ s have an out of this world, wish list expert MDT [ multi-disciplinary team ] panel. And we did it.’
ADASH was the nucleus, but the level of need and the fact that local services of all kinds were struggling to manage young people with ketamine issues meant that others were eager to get on board, she said.‘ Now
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we’ re adding housing, harm reduction, public health.’ Multiagency working was proving effective, with many decisions being made on the day, she said.
‘ Moving forward we’ re looking at developing guidelines, streamlined pathways, access to funding and dedicated clinics,’ she told the conference.‘ The key message for me is that we need to work together and listen to young people. If we don’ t listen we’ re not going to get them on board for the treatment they need. Trauma-informed practice is essential, and when the motivation for change is there from this young person it’ s our responsibility to make sure that everything is streamlined so we seize that opportunity for change. The ketamine tsunami is here, so either we prevent a catastrophe or we deal with the consequences later.’
SOCIAL DAMAGE On the subject of conse quen ces, drug and alcohol policy was an issue where attitudes were‘ often sadly shaped by political prejudice and ideology,’ MP for Easington and chair of the Drugs, Alcohol and Justice APPG, Grahame Morris, told delegates.‘ The desire to seem tough on crime, rather than support people going through a health crisis.’
The reality was that there were more votes in the‘ arrest, prosecution and throwing away the key approach’, he said.‘ This is not only shortsighted, it’ s morally bankrupt – and economically and socially damaging to communities like those I represent.’ Inter nat ional evidence showed that‘ treatment, not punishment’ was the way to address addiction and reduce harm – both to individuals and the community, he said.‘ Our objective in the APPG is to
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be your voice in parliament, bringing politicians closer to providers, practitioners and the frontline, and hearing from your lived experience.’
INVALUABLE INPUT The APPG supported the Anti-Stigma Network and had campaigned for an alcohol strategy from the new government, as well as to expand access to naloxone and increase diversion schemes.‘ Your input into these debates is invaluable,’ he told delegates.‘ It’ s gives us politicians the ammunition, the evidence and the priorities we need to feed directly back to Parliament and to ministers. We need to have people like yourselves holding politicians to account.’
The UK’ s approach to drug policy had remained static, he said.‘ It seems to me we’ ve been repeating the same policy mistakes for more than 50 years.’ The new ten-year health strategy was a welcome step forward,‘ but it’ s not all that we hoped for. So it’ s up to us to demand a radical shake-up in drugs and alcohol policy, and we need your help to shape that policy by sharing information and best practice – people who provide and use services shaping decisions in Westminster. You’ re the experts, we’ re your representatives.’
Policy decisions needed to be genuinely shaped by lived experience, he said.‘ We need to harness our collective power. We often seem to spend too much time in dispute over our small differences in opinion when in fact we have far more in common. We all want to see improved public health services, with people at the heart of them. Let’ s unite and use our collective voice to bring about change.’ DDN
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