The Safer Stronger Communities Partnership works to ensure that people misusing drugs receive a wide range of support and assistance. Good support and high quality treatment within easy access is vital in reducing the harm that drugs cause to individuals and their families.
Over the last few years the partnership has worked to reduce drug treatment waiting times, provide easier access to services and encourage more people to stay in treatment until their needs have been met.
The work is led by the Adult Joint Commissioning Group for Substance Misuse. This group commissions treatment services include structured counselling, in-patient detoxification, community detoxification, residential rehabilitation and specialist prescribing. Main service providers include:
- Shropshire Council
- Shropshire County Primary Care Trust
- South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Services work to provide support throughout the county within community venues and doctors surgeries.
Work to improve and develop services is laid out within the annual Treatment Plan. The key themes of the plan are prescribed by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse to ensure adult drug users receive support from the moment they access services through to leaving treatment and beyond:
- Commissioning the local drug treatment system
- Access and engagement with the drug treatment system
- Retention in, and effectiveness of, the drug treatment system
- Outcomes, discharge and exit from the drug treatment system