For immediate release

Helping people in Brent recover from drug and alcohol addiction

A new combined drug and alcohol recovery service has been set up in Brent.

The Addiction Recovery and Clinical Centre (ARCC), operates mainly out of new offices in the Willesden Centre for Health in Harlesden Road, and also a site in Cobbold Road.

It is aimed at helping people in Brent who want to break a cycle of addiction to substances such as heroin, club drugs, other types of stimulants or long term alcohol addiction.

ARCC represents the bringing together of a variety of services under one roof to provide a better service to service users.

These are Brent Clinical Prescribing Team - formerly the Junction Drug and Alcohol Service; a psychological-led counselling service called the Recovery Day Programme; a Care Planned Counselling Service; an Employment Advisory Service (Lottery funded); and Peer Support Practitioners and Peer Recovery Workers, who are able to provide a lived understanding of what service users are experiencing.

This is a change from a few months ago when the RDP and the prescribing service, both of which are funded by Brent Council Public Health, were in separate buildings.

Having all the services together means they are far more flexible and reactive to service users' needs. It is also far more efficient for staff to have weekly Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings together to discuss clients and case load and to plan.

Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Alex Moore, who heads up the prescribing team, and said: "Working so closely together means we think more about how each team works, which also means we can think together what is best for service users."

RDP clinical lead Dr Andre Geel - a Consultant Clinical Psychologist - said: "We really feel that we are providing a much better service for service users. Referrals can be made instantly and if anyone experiences problems we can address them immediately because all the services are here."

To start the process of becoming alcohol or drug free, service users can either refer themselves to the centre, be referred by their GP, or be referred by one of the other service providers in Brent such as Addaction, CRI, or WDP, whom the Brent Clinical Prescribing Team partners with. To be referred service users must be over 18 and live in the London Borough of Brent.

Commonly they will have abused substances such as heroin, alcohol, club drugs, or various stimulants over a period of time and may need medication to help stabilise their bodies or to help wean them off the substance.

The RDP uses the latest proven psychological interventions to help service users overcome their addictions.

Lead Group Facilitator at the RDP, Mohammed Dualeh, is one of the many enthusiastic staff. "I enjoy seeing the difference we make as a team to people's lives. It gives me great satisfaction that what we are doing actually works," he said.
 
Editors' notes 

The photo shows the ARCC team.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Stephenson House, 75 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PL
Tel: 020 3214 5700 e-mail:communications.cnwl@nhs.net