PRESCRIBING
into the meeting, and we’ve taken
it further than a therapeutic
approach, with social evenings,
quizzes and talent nights. So we’ve
definitely been able to broaden the
scope of what’s on offer – people
are really happy with that extra
choice of having a phone call or
going on Zoom.’
IMPROVED ENGAGEMENT
One of the recurrent themes of
an ongoing Change Grow Live
survey has been the choice aspect,
he points out, and not just from
service users. ‘We’re getting
feedback from workers as well
who are saying they’ve never had
so much contact with clients,
especially the hard-to-reach people
who would never come into a
service. They’ll pick up a phone, so
the engagement side with these
clients has been so much better.’
In some cases, the new ways
of working have sped up the
implementation of initiatives
that organisations were already
thinking about. ‘I think the big
thing is that there’s an appetite
for change and a different way
of working,’ says Horne. ‘For
example, we’re very conscious of
the importance of the first four
weeks in people’s recovery journey.
Traditionally you’d call somebody
in for an assessment and then try
to get them into treatment. But
an appointment in a week’s time
is very little use – people want
an appointment tomorrow and
the next day and the next. We
really increased contact, so we’ll
still have physical meetings but
interspersed with maybe three or
four 15-minute chats – by phone
or video or maybe just WhatsApp,
“How are you doing, what’s your
plan for today, how did you get on
yesterday?” We lose a lot of people
in the first four weeks across
the sector, and we really need to
engage – this has allowed us to do
that. So a lot of what happened
during lockdown has allowed us
to unlock what we were thinking
anyway.’
The charity has also been
able to reach out to people who
wouldn’t normally access services,
he adds. ‘Attending appointments
online or via the phone can
take away anxiety and logistical
challenges, and we’ve completely
revamped our web pages to give
much more clarity of advice. We
would often have people come
on a web chat to say, “I think I
need to do an alcohol detox but
I’m a primary school teacher – I’m
not going to a drug and alcohol
service.” We know there’s this
massive proportion of people out
there who are struggling but never
come near services, so we’re really
trying to open up.’
FLEXIBLE APPROACHES
So with the new ways of working
now bedded in, how are people
feeling about the long-term
options? ‘At the beginning there
was a lot of insecurity, a lot of
uncertainty, but it’s now a way
of life,’ says Dhandayudham.
‘Early on we were very focused on
the complex patients, the risky
patients, the ones who had needs
around safeguarding, but as time’s
gone on we’re trying to bring back
a lot of our normal interventions
– the BBVs, the alcohol detoxes,
and face-to-face work even for
non-complex patients. But it’s very
much a flexible approach, so if
local lockdowns come into place
we’re fully prepared – we can be
very flexible in what we do.’
‘I’m fairly optimistic,’ says Tony
Lee. ‘I’m a client myself, I still access
services, and I like my options
‘If local lockdowns come
into place we’re fully
prepared – we can be very
flexible in what we do.’
DR ARUN DHANDAYUDHAM
now, I really do. Some days it’s not
always possible to go into a service
so to be able to say, “Can I have
that by Zoom or a phone call?” is
tremendously helpful. It takes the
pressure off me, and off the service.’
‘I’ve got COPD so I have to be
careful,’ says Barry. ‘Where it used
to be going to see your key worker
fortnightly it’s now monthly, and
you’re sitting two or three metres
away. But I’ve not found it to be a
problem, and if there is any issue I
call or text and things get sorted.
If you go in daily you’re drug tested
and alcohol tested, whereas if
you’re having a conference call
there’s nothing to stop you drinking
or using drugs after – but the only
person you’re lying to is yourself. I
get all the help in the world, and it’s
because I want that help.’ DDN
This article has been produced
with support from an educational
grant provided by Camurus, which
has not influenced the content in
any way.
14 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • SEPTEMBER 2020
WWW.DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS.COM