Recovery and Reintegration: Voices of service users and carers

Healthwatch Hertfordshire undertook research on people's experiences of drug services to inform the local authority's approach.  They engaged with 75 service users and 22 carers.

This report celebrates many positive stories and experiences from service users who have used drug and alcohol services. However, it is not a time to become complacent, as service users also describe opportunities for improvements, which are outlined in the recommendations section of this report. 

Clearly, service users are incredibly appreciative of the support they have received from drug and alcohol services. In particular, they praised the staff and key workers, provision of one-to-one support and group work, and the help they have been given to start their recovery and reintegration back into the community. 

Respondents would like to see more funding go to drug and alcohol services and better pathways from services in to wider support to enable more people to benefit from the support and to offer better joined up care. Many of the recommendations for improving drug and alcohol services are practical steps. 

Respondents talked about ease of access, which come be improved with options for travel and transport support, and longer opening hours to enable those in jobs to seek help outside of work hours. Awareness of local drug and alcohol services also needs to be increased, with respondents calling for more information, signposting and promotion of local services in a range of settings.

 Signposting to external agencies when in treatment was also important to respondents, to support their recovery and reintegration. For example, areas such as benefit advice, parenting support, and access to community/social support.

 Respondents also called for better integration between external services and drug and alcohol services, especially in regards to mental health services and housing, with many having poor experiences which had negatively impacted their ability to recover and reintegrate. 

More support and involvement of carers and loved ones was also important to respondents, so that carers and/or loved ones can have a better understanding of their drug/alcohol use and better equipped to be able to provide support in their recovery. There were many positive stories and experiences cited in this report, and it is important this standard of care is upheld, and there are opportunities to explore and implement the improvements raised by both service uses and carers.

The report contains 12 recommendations about awareness, access, support, reintegration, integration between services and support for carers.