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drinkanddrugsnews
| March 2013
Be the change |
Service user conference 2013
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
‘T
he
words “change” and “recovery” can mean a lot of different things to
a lot of different people,’ service user involvement officer for Camden,
Alex Boyt, told delegates as he introduced
Be the change
’s opening
session. ‘Going from spending all your money on crack, with a little bit
left over for food, to spending your money on food with a bit left over for crack is
change for some people. For others, it’s more substantial.’
Change, however, should never be something that’s imposed, he stressed. ‘We’ve
moved from listening to people about when services are not working to listening to
them about when they are working. But it’s vital that we continue to do both.’
It was also vital to tackle stigma, said service user and activist Lee Collingham,
particularly in terms of the barriers it created to accessing healthcare. Describing the
experiences of service user peers, he told delegates that people were regularly and
blatantly stigmatised in pharmacists, hospitals and a range of other settings. ‘In the
chemist it’s supposed to be first come, first served, but people are left till last, as if
they’re not as important as the other customers.’ When they dared to complain
about this they were often met with hostility, he added.
Service users also described how they were invariably followed by security
guards, and similar occurrences. ‘Many times in the workplace I’ve been overlooked
for promotion because I’m open about my history, and you can see the attitudes of
A&E staff change instantly,’ said Collingham. ‘It’s everybody’s responsibility to
challenge stigma – in the workplace, in healthcare and in their lives in general.’
*****
One environment that aimed to be non-stigmatising was general practice, said GP
and
DDN
columnist Dr Steve Brinksman. ‘There are a lot of my colleagues, I know,
who still won’t work with substance users. It’s seen as a specialist area, and it’s also
difficult to shift attitudes. Not everyone is brilliant in primary care, and we have to
face up to that. But as newer people come in, things will move forward.’
One strong and obvious advantage of primary care was the medical knowledge
of the practitioners, he stressed. ‘It means we can work with people in a holistic way.
There’s also a recovery focus, but recovery in its broadest sense – it’s not a time-
limited thing.’ Other benefits were universal coverage – as GPs should be readily
Representatives from the NTA,
general practice and service user
activism set out their priorities for the
new treatment system in the dynamic
opening session of
Be the change
GETTING
IT RIGHT