RESIDENTIAL SERVICES
ACCESS ALL AREAS
Phoenix Futures’ Scottish Residential Service
is transforming life for clients with disabilities,
explains Lyndsey Wilson-Haigh
A
lmost 14m people
in the UK are
recognised as
disabled according
to government
data, with 20
per cent of the working age adult
population falling into this category.
This rises to 30 per cent for those
within the recovery community,
reflecting the prevalence of long-
term physical health risks associated
with substance misuse. At Phoenix
Futures we passionately believe in
challenging barriers to recovery, and
work to ensure as many people as
possible receive the treatment they
need to change their lives.
The Phoenix Futures Scottish
Residential Service offers a
therapeutic drug and alcohol
treatment programme within a
highly accessible environment.
We can provide for people with
limited mobility, people who use
wheelchairs who can self-transfer,
and we can make reasonable
adjustments to support people with
visual and hearing impairments. The
service is delivered from a building
with ground-floor bedrooms and
a lift to access upstairs rooms. We
assess the needs of all potential
community members on a one-
to-one basis to ensure we provide
a full programme of support. This
is managed through a robust risk
assessment and management
planning process which is
reviewed regularly throughout the
programme.
When the Scottish Residential
Service relocated in 2018 we
actively sought and refurbished
a building which could help and
support people with a wider range
of needs. We had received feedback
from a number of people who use
wheelchairs and who were eager to
access recovery but were struggling
WWW.DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS.COM
to find a residential
programme
in a suitable
environment.
Danny detailed
this in his story. ‘I’d
been given funding
six months before
I got a place at
Phoenix Futures
but no place would
take me,’ he says.
‘I’d lost hope on
everything.’
Sadly, Danny
was not alone.
Karen too had
faced challenges
in finding a
programme to
accommodate her.
‘I had previously
looked at another
rehab but they
couldn’t accommodate my needs and
they were not wheelchair accessible,’
she says. ‘So, when the hospital
addiction worker mentioned Phoenix
I didn’t believe them as I didn’t believe
there was somewhere like Phoenix
that existed.’
Thankfully, our new service has
been able to improve access to
recovery for many people who use
wheelchairs and for those who have
limited mobility and/or complex
physical health needs. The building
has been purpose-designed to
remove restrictions and promote
inclusiveness, and the wheelchair-
friendly environment ensures
we maintain high standards of
accessibility throughout the service.
‘The building here is perfect for
my additional support needs,’ says
Danny. ‘There is nowhere in the
building that is not accessible and
this allows me to be a full member
of the community. This gives me the
belief that when I move on, being in
‘I’d been given
funding six
months before
I got a place at
Phoenix Futures
but no place
would take me.
I’d lost hope on
everything.’
a wheelchair will not hold me back.’
The service can accommodate
up to 31 community members,
with each room fully accessible and
inclusive of its own en-suite wet
room/bathroom. Adaptations can
also be made to bedrooms, such as
bed supports, toilet aids or grab bars.
The service works in partnership with
occupational health teams to ensure
each individual has access to any aids
required, and guide and assistance
dogs are welcome.
There are large, open social
spaces and group rooms, along with
designated gender-specific rooms
and social lounges with low-level
access throughout. The programme
offers a range of in-house activities
and interventions as well as health
and wellbeing activities including
music, performance, swimming and
arts and crafts. ‘When I got there the
building blew me away, everything
was accommodated for me,’ says
Karen. ‘There’s nothing I cannot do,
I have come on leaps and bounds. I
participate in everything including
external activities.’
‘Phoenix has provided me with
the opportunity of recovery and I was
proud to complete my detox,’ adds
Danny. ‘I have also been supported
to get the medical help that I needed
and I am in a much better place
physically. I now participate much
more in groups where I build my
confidence and develop the tools I
need to get better.’
Despite having been in our
new home for just 18 months,
the programme and skillset of our
team members have developed
at a tremendous pace and we’ve
welcomed several community
members who previously might
not have found access to a
complete programme. This is just
the beginning of our exciting new
chapter – making accessibility an
option, not a barrier.
www.phoenix-futures.org.uk
MARCH 2020 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • 7