CRUNCH TIME
‘ No one should be written off because of the hardest chapter of their life... I own my recovery. It’ s my superpower.’
MICHAEL BLACKMORE
need, and 50 per cent of drug need. Most people can’ t get the drug and alcohol and mental health support they need, and I believe we all know that we need to significantly change and modernise treatment.’
In those 37 years in the sector he’ d never stopped learning, he told the conference –‘ and believing we can do better. What is new is our commitment, backed by investment, to do something about it.’ Much of the strategy had been shaped by Waythrough’ s Life Experience Council, he said, and there was much more to come from them to‘ help us innovate and hold us to account on the goal.’ Waythrough supported more than 130,000 people a year across 260 services, he said, and‘ all the people we work with have the answers to the questions we’ re trying to address – and they decide what changes they want to make.’
The strategy’ s ultimate goal was to save a million lives, and enhance a million more.‘ It’ s simple, and it’ s incredibly ambitious.’ It would involve becoming a generous partner and co-producer, and investing in staff and volunteers as the most important drivers of change – and would be backed by an additional £ 10m over the course of the strategy.‘ We’ re going to focus on all the services that will achieve this goal, including housing, gambling, young people and families, employment and domestic abuse.’
Between 2010 and 2020 47 per cent of people in contact with mental health services who died by suicide in England had a problem with alcohol use, and 38 per cent had a problem with drug use.‘ So we do need to do much more. We know we need to be ambitious and take risks. And we can’ t do it on our own.’ DDN
When it comes to properly addressing the problems in our sector it’ s now or never, says Paul Townsley
When I started out as a volunteer 37 years ago, I would never have dreamt that I would be here now as Waythrough CEO, with the privilege of launching an ambitious new ten-year strategy. Over that period, I’ ve concluded that while our sector has developed and delivered some great services, we now need a shared sense of urgency to really address the worst inequalities and health and social care problems.
The way ahead commits us to‘ saving a million lives and enhancing a million more’. We’ re ready to redesign and join up services to make sure our communities get the drug and alcohol and mental health support they need. To ensure this happens we’ ll invest £ 10m in new models and ways of working over the life of the strategy. This investment is to catalyse change, and I hope help move our sector to a point where sufficient funding for innovation in tackling stubborn health and social care problems is a given.
A little under 20 per cent of people with alcohol problems are currently getting the support they need. Only about half the people with opiate and crack problems are in treatment. That’ s not good enough and we intend to do something about it.
Though they’ re often in our most disadvantaged regions, the communities we serve are resilient places, full of character and resource. We want to take that collective strength and insight and use it to power The way ahead. I’ m proud that the voices of the people we support run through our new approach.
It’ s clear that support is nowhere near joined up enough. Most people’ s experiences of‘ co-occurring conditions’ represent an intolerable systems failure that we have all become desensitised to. It’ s appalling that the people most in need routinely‘ fall through the gaps’ between mental health and drug and alcohol services. And supported housing and employment services, to name just two, must be part of a wider array of support.
I believe that Waythrough’ s scale, reach and skills can make a real difference and I want us to become a true system leader – a generous partner and co-producer with a reputation for genuine innovation and the proven ability to influence commissioning and policymaking. But we certainly can’ t do this alone. So we’ re inviting others to join us – commissioners, delivery partners, the private sector and all the people who live and work in our communities. If what I’ ve written has struck a chord, please let me know.
By the time I hang up my coat, I’ d like some of these new ways of working to be considered mainstream. I’ ll keep pushing Waythrough to find a path to making that happen. Hopefully alongside some of you reading this.
Paul Townsley is CEO of Waythrough. He can be contacted at paul. townsley @ waythrough. org. uk
8 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • SEPTEMBER 2026 WWW. DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS. COM