ON THE COVER
Putting competent
compassion back into
services, p8
DDN is an independent publication, entirely funded by advertising.
Publishers:
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4
NEWS
‘Worsening financial situation’ leads to closure of DrugScope.
DDN’s round-up of local and national news.
6
VOICES
‘I believe I have been able to provide something special.’
Looking back on life as a drugs counsellor and works chaplain.
8
COVER STORY
‘When someone is in need of help, there must be a full range
of interventions available to them.’ Refocussing services on
competent compassion.
11
PRACTICE EXCHANGE
Educating young people and exploring the relationship between
substances and sight-loss.
12
PROFILE
‘There’s still a way to go, but I think progress is being made.’
Monty Moncrieff talks about meeting the treatment needs of
the LGBT community.
14
OPINION
Neil McKeganey looks at tackling drug use in prison, and our
readers share their views.
April 2015 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| 3
editor’s letter
‘It’s not all a numbers game...
have we lost our focus on
competent compassion?’
Contents
A
s the election bus changes up a gear and politicians climb
over each other to get our attention, we’re being
bombarded with statistics on successes, failures and
promises. In our cover story this month (page 8), Dr Joss Bray
reminds us that it’s not all a numbers game, not all about TOPS
forms, successful completions and monitoring crime statistics. He
points to the destabilising effect of endless rounds of retendering
and the devolving of commissioning responsibility to cash-
strapped local authorities, and asks – have we lost our focus on
competent compassion?
Of course there is hope. Why did you get into this line of work?
Because you wanted to tick boxes or because you wanted to
change lives for the better? As Bray argues, we need to turn the
focus back on individualised care, not getting numbers through the
door as quickly as possible. Taking service users’ needs and choices
into consideration is not the easiest route, but it should be the only
route, underpinned by a sound evidence base. A lack of money for
infrastructure and staff throws challenges in our faces every day,
but we have to stay focused on what gives people the treatment
experience we would want for ourselves. Please share your
thoughts and experiences with other readers. You can always do it
in our ‘off the record’ column (page 18) if you need to be frank.
Claire Brown, editor
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