REGULATION
HANGING UP
THE CLIPBOARD
Regular DDN contributor David Finney reflects on 23 years in the sector
Working in the
drug and alcohol
treatment
sector is very
life affirming.
Personally, I am so grateful that my
life took the turn it did, bringing
me into a field of work where the
restoration of broken lives was
absolutely the core purpose. So
many people said to me those
simple words ‘this place saved my
life’, and for each one there was a
story of past sadness but equally
there was a hope and a future. This
was made possible by the people
working in this field who showed
strong personal commitment, often
coming from experience.
So what have I learned
over time? Initially as head of
inspection in North Somerset and
then as national policy lead for
the Commission for Social Care
Inspection (CSCI), I had some great
dialogue with representative bodies
such as EATA and the Recovery
Foundation. People such as Simon
Shepherd, Nick Barton, Chip
Somers, Noreen Oliver and Deirdre
Boyd put their heads above the
parapet and challenged perceptions
of the treatment sector within
government. Collaboratively we
developed some good national
standards for residential treatment
centres, and the high point for
me was in 2008 when I proudly
announced at UKESAD that
treatment services were way ahead
of the national average in terms
gaining excellent ratings. So I learned
that proactive representative bodies
and a listening arm of government
led to improved standards of care
and treatment.
One of the major improvements
I observed over the years has been
the focus on the individual. Initially,
I found that in residential services
there was a tendency to see the
programme as the most important
thing, sometimes overseen by
some larger-than-life charismatic
characters. Not to say that this
didn’t work for many people, but
subsequently the personalisation
agenda led to better-developed
individual care planning which I
believe accorded people a higher
‘I am so grateful
that my life took
the turn it did,
bringing me
into a field of
work where the
restoration of
broken lives was
absolutely the
core purpose.’
degree of respect and dignity. It
also enabled them to go forward
with more self-esteem and betterdeveloped
personal resilience for
the future.
Another important
development was the integration
of services before and after
residential treatment. Initially I
came across shocking examples of
discharge, such as a black plastic
bin bag on the doorstep and a
train ticket home. I am glad to say
that many services now offer great
aftercare packages, supported
living arrangements, employment
and training opportunities and
proper integration with community
services, all of which means that
recovery is far more sustainable.
To briefly comment on two
important themes – funding and
regulation – once the NTA pooled
treatment budget was removed
local public health bodies became
responsible for purchasing services.
This meant that competing
priorities led to a reduction in
statutory funding for treatment,
and now that the coronavirus
pandemic has struck it seems
obvious to say that there will be yet
more pressure on these budgets.
This means that treatment
services will need to be even more
persuasive, collaborative and
creative in their organisation and
bidding if they are to thrive.
I took early retirement in 2009
and began a career as a consultant.
This was when CQC came into
being and the regulation of
treatment services moved from the
adult social care to the hospitals
directorate, with the intention
that the treatment element of
services would be better regulated.
However, the medical aspects of
treatment seem to have become
the main focus of inspection, with
less regard for the psychosocial
elements that are crucial in
enabling people to make their
life-changing decisions. I note that
CQC have recently announced that
they are revising their inspection
methodology again, and in the light
of the pandemic have introduced
an ‘emergency support framework’
which will inevitably lead to a
strong focus on infection control.
Treatment services will need to
prepare themselves well for the
challenge that these two changes
represent and maintain an open
dialogue with CQC.
As I hang up my clipboard and
retire, I want to re-emphasise my
deep sense of gratitude for the
many people who have journeyed
with me, those who have both
challenged me as a regulator and
stood by me as I stepped into
the new world of consultancy
– special thanks to DDN who
helpfully published articles and
hosted training courses in which I
attempted to keep people updated
with CQC changes. Finally, I firmly
believe that this is a life-changing
area of work, which brings
transformation and hopefulness to
many. Long may it continue!
WWW.DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS.COM JULY/AUGUST 2020 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • 23