Joined-up action on addictions
Between Christmas and New Year I decided to visit the Seaview Project in Southwater Road, St Leonard's.
This was not only because it is a fantastic service, caring for some of the most vulnerable members of our community at a particularly difficult time of year, but also because I wanted to talk to some of the Seaview staff, to see what their views are on current provision for people with addictions problems (alcohol and street drugs) in the local area.
Seaview is one in a million.
I was glad to learn from Honorary Freeman Pam Brown that the Liberal Democrats were instrumental in helping the Project to secure its current location.
It 'exists for the relief of poverty, sickness and distress of persons in need' and does so from an anti-oppressive perspective. That is to say, that 'No person should suffer oppression or lack of opportunity based on belief, race, gender, sexuality, disability, age, class or geographical location'. For someone like me – trained as a social worker and having spent my working life fighting poverty in different roles – this is music to the ear.
The way of working is non-judgemental and has very much a 'there but for the grace of God go I' mentality, which is at once humbling and refreshing.
The floating support part of the service does some long-term, highly complex work with people who are trying to manage a tenancy, and who have the kind of multiple problems that have resulted in exclusion from many other support services.
I was privileged to speak to one of the longest-serving members of the Seaview team about their thoughts on substance misuse services locally. The main learning point I came away with was the need for services to have much more input from users. This is to say that people with historic experience of using substances locally should be involved in the design, delivery and management of services.
It was also clear from our discussion that there is not yet sufficient access to talking therapies in addictions provision – particularly family therapy – and that there needs to be more flexibility, so that people can take treatment at their own pace (rather than having to conform to a highly generalised (and medicalised) model).
This information has only gone to confirm some of the conclusions that I have formed with mental health colleagues over the last months, and has provided an added motivation to lobby for a multi-agency, and cross-party debate about the state of substance misuse and dual diagnosis (meaning mental health and addictions) services in Hastings and Rother.
Not just for the homeless I might add, but for middle class drinkers and users of street drugs too.
I have already written to local GPs and the police in this regard. I have been in touch with various voluntary sector agencies. And Cllr David Rogers, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on East Sussex County Council, has been helping me to establish some baseline figures in respect of the what money is being spent on substance misuse problems, and with what outcomes, via its Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
As the recession deepens, I believe that we are going to see an increase in the impact that substance misuse has on the wider community. There are implications in respect of crime and disorder, health and social services budgets.
This is a serious issue that needs a joined up approach. And we cannot afford for it to get mired in party politics.
That is why I am inviting people of all political persuasions to take part.
Please contact me via my blog (address below) if you have a contribution to make.
(To read more about what Nick has been up to, check out his blog – 'Nick Perry for Hastings & Rye' at www.nickperrylibdem.wordpress.com]
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Weather for Hastings
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: 1 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North west
