Jack Keery – Page 3 – Humankind

Author: Jack Keery

Jack is our Media & External Communications Manager. He manages our national and regional press office and leads on our digital communications channels. He also supports our services across the country to promote their work.

The apprentices shining at Humankind

Jack Keery

Two people working on a computer in an office

National Apprenticeship Week 2023 takes place from Monday 6 February to Sunday 12 February. With both Dame Carol Black’s Independent Review and the national drug strategy, ‘From Harm to Hope’, singling out workforce development as a national priority and essential criteria for success, we are taking the opportunity to highlight the achievements and aspirations of the 45 apprentices at our charity. 

Across our County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service, Liaison and Diversion, and Crisis teams, there are 15 apprentices with lived experience of drug and alcohol use, recovery, mental health, or experience of the criminal justice system completing a Level 2 in Adult Care. 

These apprentices were specifically recruited for their unique experiences, each bringing empathy, understanding and a range of skills to the role, which benefits the people accessing these services, our national charity, and the wider charity sector. 

Ben Fidler, a Peer Apprentice in recovery in the County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service, shared his journey, from volunteering to his apprenticeship, and how it increased his self-confidence. 

“Humankind’s positive approach to interviewing makes you feel like they are wanting to learn about you and your worth as a person,” Ben commented. “They go the extra mile to find the right person, and it feels great when that person is you! It is a really refreshing outlook.” 

Another apprentice with lived experience commented that “I have always been passionate about mental health and helping others, and through this apprenticeship, being able to help others makes me feel there is a more positive outcome from my own experiences.” 

We have seen great success within our apprentice programme. Nine out of sixteen who started in entry level positions after completing Level 2 or 3 apprenticeships are still employed in permanent positions. The apprenticeships have provided the others with the tools to make a positive impact in new roles.

George Bell began his journey with us as a volunteer before becoming a Peer Support Apprentice in March 2020. He described his apprenticeship experience as a great way to learn new skills and knowledge while being part of the team, and excelled in his role, securing a permanent position first as a Peer Support Worker and now as Peer Mentor and Volunteer Coordinator in the Tees Crisis Team.

Of his experience, George said, “The wider team were all very supportive and encouraging which is great for confidence building and also getting great shadowing experiences with different members of the team.”

Each apprentice at Humankind participates in on-the-job learning to gain the skills and experience required to develop their career within a supportive environment. Their work makes a real difference to the lives of people we support every day.  

The programme covers a range of apprenticeship standards, including Adult Care, Finance and Customer Service among others. The apprenticeship standards studied support our different services across the country, from community drug and alcohol treatment to corporate services. 

As well as apprenticeships for people looking to begin their career journey within the charity sector, over half of the apprenticeship learners were already employed by us and requested to complete an apprenticeship for their own personal development.

This includes 11 managers studying towards a Level 5 apprenticeship in Operations Management with Activate Business School. Feedback so far has been positive, and the organisation will support more managers to study towards the Level 5 Operations Management apprenticeship in the future. The apprenticeship is delivered remotely, fitting around the workdays of the learners. 

Roxanne Dark, Service Manager at Humankind’s Staffordshire Treatment and Recovery Service (STARS) said, “The level 5 apprenticeship has given me the ability to stay in the role I enjoy while working towards my future in the same working environment. It has helped me in my role as I feel I am a better manager and I think in different ways now.” 

We work with seven different training providers who deliver apprenticeships in varied ways, including with online platforms and face-to-face learning in a higher education or workplace setting. 

In addition to Activate Business School, these providers include Darlington College, East Durham College, Impact Futures, Kaplan Financial Ltd, New College Durham, and Teesside University. 

The apprenticeship programme is overseen by Humankind’s Talent Development Manager, Katie Woodward. Katie’s role involves developing the apprenticeship offer while working closely with services to identify current and future workforce trends. 

“The most rewarding part of the role,” Katie says, “is the opportunity to support our workforce, from volunteers to managers, to develop their skills and careers every day.”  

If you would like to know more about the apprenticeship programmes on offer, please reach out to Katie at katie.woodward@humankindcharity.org.uk.

News

Cumbria’s community drug and alcohol treatment service rated ‘Good’ across the board by Care Quality Commission

Jack Keery

An image of the Recovery Steps Cumbria team

Humankind, in partnership with The Well Communities, is proud to announce that Recovery Steps Cumbria has received a rating of “Good” in all areas from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

The community-based service in Cumbria offers a range of support including clinical, health and wellbeing, access to employability coaches and connections to housing.

This is the first CQC review of Recovery Steps Cumbria since it began operating in October 2021 and underlines the early progress made by our team and partners. To date, the service has supported 2,952 people across Cumbria.

In particular, the CQC praised our workforce for treating the people they support “with compassion and kindness”, noting that they “understood the individual needs of clients” while ensuring they “actively involved clients in decisions and care planning”.

The Recovery Steps Cumbria team were further commended for their ability to assess and manage risk, and their adherence to good practice and safeguarding procedures. The care plans they developed were described as holistic, recovery-oriented, and informed by comprehensive assessments.

The CQC also recognised the multidisciplinary approach of teams across our Cumbria hubs, which gave access to the full range of necessary specialists. This care was “easy to access”, with staff planning and managing discharge well and developing alternative pathways for people whose needs it could not meet.

Finally, the CQC recognised that Recovery Steps Cumbria was well led, with governance processes that ensured that its procedures ran smoothly.

Paul Johnson, Commissioning Manager for Children, Adults and Public Health at Cumbria County Council said:

“We are delighted to see the commissioned Cumbria Addictions Service consistently received ‘Good’ across the board in its recent CQC inspection, after just a year of being in operation. Particularly so as it had to get the new service up and running during the pandemic.

“We look forward to working together with our provider over the coming months and years to make this an ‘Outstanding’ service.”

Rachel Savchenko, Operations Director for the North West at Humankind, said:

“It is testament to our people at all levels that we have received a ‘Good’ rating across the board in Recovery Steps Cumbria’s first CQC review.

“We are excited to continue serving our community by providing the support and resources necessary for individuals to achieve lasting recovery.”

Becky White, Area Manager at Recovery Steps Cumbria, said:

“We are pleased to receive this recognition from the CQC and are fully dedicated to continuing to provide such safe, compassionate, and effective care to the people of Cumbria.

“I would like to thank our fantastic teams for all their hard work and commitment since the launch of Recovery Steps Cumbria. We know that we are progressing every day and hope to build on this rating further.”

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New service for people with alcohol and drug issues in Bradford District

Jack Keery

An image of Bradford city hall in City Park

A partnership between national and local charities launches in April 2023 providing drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services across Bradford District.

The new service, named “New Vision Bradford”, will be led by the national charity Humankind with partners Project 6, The Bridge Project and Create Strength Group who have been working and supporting people across the district for many years. New Vision Bradford aims to improve outcomes for people with issues around alcohol and drugs across the district, better meeting the needs of the area’s diverse communities.

Executive Operations Director for Humankind Ted Haughey said: “We are delighted to be working across the District, delivering a treatment and recovery service that builds on our existing services locally both in Bradford and West Yorkshire. Humankind has extensive experience of providing successful substance misuse services across England. With the local knowledge, links and infrastructure of our partners feel we are uniquely placed to effectively mobilise and deliver the new service.”

Humankind Regional Operations Director Lee Wilson said: “Humankind has been working in Bradford for a number of years supporting homeless people through our highly regarded No Second Night Out service. I’m thrilled that we will now be delivering the substance misuse service in the city. Personally, I have wanted to deliver the service for several years and I can’t wait to get started. Working with our partners we are aiming to deliver a unique and outstanding service to the people of Bradford District.”

Jon Royle, CEO of The Bridge Project: “Bridge has been delivering high quality treatment and recovery services across Bradford for almost 40 years and we are delighted to be working with our new partners on new Vision Bradford, offering a broader range of interventions. Our priorities now are to support our fantastic staff through the transitionary period and deliver better outcomes for the people who use our services.”

CEO of Project 6 Vicki Beere said: “Project 6 is delighted to be part of this new partnership delivering substance use services across the district. We have a much-needed opportunity to build inclusive and accessible services across Airedale and Wharfedale and look forward to the partnership developing these; alongside colleagues from the wider health and care system. Our priority for the next few months is to support our staff and the people who use our services through this process.”

Project Lead of Create Strength Group Dave Memery said: “Create Strength Group are excited to be part of this inventive and vital recovery partnership that will see Bradford district benefit from a dynamic and integrated solution. We look forward to working with our dedicated and forward-looking partners, achieving, and growing together developing a world class treatment & recovery system that Bradford deserves.”

New Vision Bradford will include a range of support including harm reduction, care coordination, clinical and psychosocial therapeutic interventions. Create Strength Group will provide support for people who become abstinent to create a lived experience-led recovery community for the district.

New Vision Bradford has been commissioned by Bradford Metropolitan District Council and the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (through the Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership). It will launch on April 1st 2023.

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Paul Townsley and Dr Roya Vaziri respond to the rising number of alcohol related deaths

Jack Keery

The ONS today published new statistics showing the number of people who died due to diseases known to be a direct consequence of alcohol use. The main points from the statistics are:

  • In 2021, there were 9,641 deaths (14.8 per 100,000 people) from alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK, the highest number on record.
  • The number recorded in 2021 was 7.4% higher than in 2020 (8,974 deaths; 14.0 per 100,000) and 27.4% higher than in 2019 (7,565 deaths; 11.8 per 100,000), the last pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic year.
  • For the eighth consecutive year, the North East had the highest rate of any English region (20.4 deaths per 100,000 people).
  • The rate of alcohol-specific deaths for males in 2021 remained around double the rate for females (20.1 and 9.9 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively).

Paul Townsley, Chef Executive Officer at Humankind, said:

“It is a tragedy that 9,641 people in the UK died due to alcohol during 2021. We must remember the heartbreak that each one of these lives lost will have caused for families, friends, and communities across the country.

“Today’s figures show a 27.4% rise in alcohol related deaths since 2019. Alcohol is responsible for more deaths than any other drug in the UK and this represents a genuine public health emergency. Action should be taken now.

“Lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic led people already drinking at hazardous levels to drink even more. Most of these deaths are attributed to alcohol related liver diseases, resulting from sustained levels of risky alcohol use over many years. We know that if these levels of alcohol use persist, alcohol related diseases and deaths will only continue to rise.

“Our staff and services responded quickly and flexibly to the pandemic to ensure that the people we support could still access the interventions that they needed. Despite this, we know that lockdowns caused fewer people to come forward for support and treatment, and this will be a contributing factor towards higher rates of deaths in 2020 and 2021.

“Geographic disparities and socio-economic disparities are also clear for all to see. If you live in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humber, you are more likely to die as a result of alcohol related diseases than people living in the South.

“People from higher socio-economic groups drink more alcohol on average but are significantly less likely to suffer the consequences to health than those from the most deprived communities. This needs to change.

“Even more worryingly, we know that alcohol is linked to seven forms of cancer. The ONS statistics however do not consider any type of death from cancer to be associated with alcohol use, so the number of people who have died as a result of alcohol harm could be considerably higher.

“We need the Government to commission an independent review on alcohol harm, much like Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drugs. We are already seeing the positive developments brought about by the drug strategy and it is important to gain parity for alcohol. This review would be an effective way of understanding the true impact of alcohol on our society. It could also provide targeted recommendations to reduce current and future harms.

“We also fully support the Alcohol Health Alliance’s call for minimum unit pricing and alcohol duty – which the World Health Organization identifies as being one of the most effective ways of tackling alcohol-related harm – to rise in line with inflation. In addition, there must be a far higher level of restrictions on alcohol marketing and product labelling.

“From everyone at Humankind, I want to reiterate our deepest condolences to anyone affected by the 9,641 tragic deaths which occurred during 2021. We will redouble efforts ensuring that high quality and evidence-based support for alcohol is available across the communities we support. We will continue to work across our sector to raise standards and reduce these preventable deaths, but we need the Government to join us in this shared endeavour.”

Dr Roya Vaziri, Executive Medical Director at Humankind, said:

“Our experiences from the frontline show that people who use alcohol who have significant mental and physical health needs do not have those needs satisfactorily met by the wider health and social care system.

“With collaborative working between community drug and alcohol services, social care services, and their speciality colleagues, it is my hope that we will see a reduction in alcohol related deaths in the years to come.

“This can start with people currently working in clinical leadership roles coming together and appraising what is working in their system. Current methods of co-producing change alongside people with lived experience will ultimately create a system response that will have the greatest impact.

“We know that many health and social care services across the UK are not built for the purpose of supporting people with their alcohol use as the emphasis is primarily placed on drug treatment. Led by our Director of Nursing, Stacey Smith, in consultation with the people we support, Humankind has subsequently undertaken extensive research and development to set new minimum standards for alcohol interventions across our services.

“These standards are wide ranging in scope and include work on increasing community detoxes, reducing stigma, creating more welcoming and accessible service environments, improving our pathways with other health and criminal justice services, providing more brief and extended interventions, working with the families of people who access our services for their alcohol use, and improving our digital support offer.

“I am proud to be working on the NICE quality standards on alcohol use disorders, due for publication in 2023, which will provide a focus the on the areas of care that will have maximum impact for our communities.

“I am also grateful to Humankind for allowing me to take time out to be part of a consultation on the UK Alcohol National Clinical Guidelines. Together with a vast range of experts across the UK, we have pulled together the best evidence practice to support clinical services and the people we work with.

“A continuation of this collaborative work to specifically design services for people who use alcohol is key to our collective aim to reducing the rates of alcohol related deaths in the coming years. I believe the evidence of success for these early steps will be clear in the near future.”

The full report on alcohol-specific deaths in the UK registered in 2021 is available on the Office for National Statistics website.

News

Christmas Appeal 2022

Jack Keery

Festive lights hang above text that reads "Humankind - Christmas Appeal 2022"

We’re launching our Christmas Appeal for 2022 and need your help.

Our vital services work every day of the year in local communities across the country to support vulnerable people in crisis. We provide healthcare, emergency shelter, food, safety, security, and essential advice.

Last year, we supported over 90,000 people and an individual accesses one of our services every five minutes.

The festive season is no different.

It will come as no surprise that winter is one of the most challenging times for many of the people we support as they cope with complex health needs, poverty, homelessness, loneliness, and isolation.

This, combined with the current cost of living crisis, means we need your help more than ever.

That’s why we’re asking you to support our work this winter by donating to our Christmas appeal.

Your kind donation will ensure we are always able to provide urgent interventions for people when they need it most.

How to make a donation

If you would like to donate through a text on your phone, you can do so by texting HKXMAS followed by your donation amount (for example, HKXMAS 20 to give £20) to 70460.

Choosing this option will allow you to donate any amount between £1 – £20.

If you would like to give more, you can send multiple texts, or donate through our JustGiving page.

Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message. You’ll be opting into hearing about Humankind news in the future via telephone and SMS. If you would like to donate, but do not wish to hear more from us, please text HKXMASNOINFO instead, followed by your donation amount.

A donation to our Christmas Appeal will go directly to help those most in need or at risk of harm. Please note, the following donation guides are intended as examples of our work only, and your donation may also be used in other ways to help the people we support.

  • £10 could allow us to provide a pack of essential items, including personal hygiene and sanitary products, to someone sleeping on the streets.
  • £20 could contribute towards our national service user fund, providing emergency funding for people in extreme hardship.
  • £50 could completely transform Christmas for a family in poverty, providing basic food and shelter.

From everyone at Humankind, thank you for your kindness this Christmas.

News

Fundraise for Humankind at the London Winter Walk

Jack Keery

For a second year in a row, Humankind are taking part in a fantastic fundraising event to walk off the Christmas celebrations, kick start our New Year fitness regime, and boost our wellbeing.

We will be joining the Ultra Challenge’s Winter Walk half marathon (West Loop) at 10am on Saturday 28th January 2023 – and you can join us!

Starting and finishing at The Oval Cricket Ground in Vauxhall, the Winter Walk half marathon (West Loop) is a 13-mile loop past Battersea Park to Putney Bridge, and includes highlights of the Thames, its historic bridges, and many of the Capital’s key landmarks.

Families are welcome. You even get a free winter bobble hat and neck buff, snacks at rest stops, and a special medal and hot food at the finish.

Join as an individual or as a team, and choose to support Humankind from the list of charities when you sign up for the Winter Walk.

Funds raised will go to our Service User Fund to support the most vulnerable people we work with.

This event is strictly walking only – so no jogging or running is allowed.

SIGN UP & FUNDRAISING OPTIONS:

  1. Charity Sponsorship – you pay a small registration fee, do lots of fundraising and we cover the cost of your event place.
    Half marathon: Registration fee £15 & fundraising target £195
  2. Mixed Funding – pay half of the event place cost yourself, fundraise a bit less and we pay the balance of the event place cost.
    Half marathon: Registration fee £34.50 / fundraising target £110
  3. Self Fund – you pay the full cost of the event place, fundraise whatever you want, with no set target or deadline, and there’s no cost at all to Humankind!
    Half marathon: Registration fee £69 (£44 12-17 year old price)

Find full details of prices and information on signing up on the Ultra Challenge – Winter Walk website.

You can download a paper sponsorship for to print if you prefer to use this over the Winter Walk’s JustGiving platform.

News

Calderdale Recovery Steps rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission

Jack Keery

The Calderdale Recovery Steps team pose for a picture at a Hep C elimination event

Calderdale Recovery Steps, the West Yorkshire borough’s community alcohol and drug service, has been rated ‘Outstanding’ in recognition of the caring and proactive support it provides. 

The rating was provided by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It found that Calderdale Recovery Steps, which is led by Humankind and delivered in partnership with The Basement Recovery Project, is an “Outstanding” service, particularly in the categories of being Caring and Responsive. 

According to the report, the service is a place that finds “innovative ways of delivering more joined up care to clients, particularly those with complex needs”, where the “passionate, highly motivated” staff are “consistent in supporting clients to live healthier lives”. 

Cllr Sarah Courtney, Cabinet Member for Towns, Engagement and Public Health at Calderdale Council, said: “We are delighted, but unsurprised, at this very well-deserved result. 

“Both Humankind and The Basement Recovery project have worked incredibly hard, in partnership with our whole system, to ensure that our services respond to the needs of people and places in Calderdale. Everyone involved in the service should feel very proud of this result and the recognition of the outstanding practice that’s making a real difference in our community.”  

Emily Todd, Regional Director at Humankind, said: “I am extremely proud of this CQC Outstanding result in Calderdale, which reflects the dedication and hard work of our staff teams.  

“Our services in Calderdale deliver a wide range of support to people and always take an innovative approach to working with the most vulnerable in our society with recovery and harm reduction at its core. 

“The relationships we have built with The Basement Recovery Project, our commissioners and other key partners allow us to effectively challenge health inequalities and save lives.” 

The CQC stated that: “leaders at all levels of the service were compassionate, inclusive and effective.” 

The CQC inspectors continue: “Clients from the adult and young persons’ service, told us staff respected and valued them as individuals and thought staff exceeded their expectations in supporting their emotional and practical needs. Staff treated people with compassion, kindness and empowered them to be active partners in their own care.” 

Calderdale Recovery Steps joins other Humankind-led services in being rated outstanding by the CQC during 2022, including Forward Leeds and County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service.  

The full report is available to read online from the CQC website: https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-10085964179

News

Women’s Homelessness Statement from the Women’s Treatment Working Group

Jack Keery

A woman is posing for a photo and smiling in her home kitchen. She is holding plates of food.

The Women’s Treatment Working Group are a national collective of drug and alcohol treatment providers. We are working together to ensure that women receive effective and appropriate community and residential drug and alcohol treatment services.

We call upon local authorities, commissioners, and policy makers to make sure that women who are struggling with substance use issues and presenting to services as ‘homeless’ are given the opportunity to access safe and appropriate accommodation that takes into account the specific needs of women.

Across our networks we are working with women who experience numerous vulnerabilities, such as complex trauma, substance use, sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, and sexual violence.

We find the specific framing of ‘women’s homelessness’ to be unhelpful and believe that homelessness is better understood as an outcome from one of more of these vulnerabilities.

When we focus upon a woman’s unmet need through the lens of homelessness, we risk underplaying the significance of these other important contributory factors.

Many vulnerable women are falling through the cracks when it comes to accessing safe refuge accommodation. Far too long women are being described as ‘complex’ and ‘homeless’ when the reality is that women are often experiencing serious levels of abuse and trauma.

The correct terminology would be ‘victim/survivor’, who requires safe refuge, not a general homelessness response. They require safe refuge accommodation that take account of their experiences.

News

Lewisham Primary Care Recovery Service rated Good by the Care Quality Commission

Jack Keery

Female doctor takes a blood pressure reading from someone's arm

Humankind’s Primary Care Recovery Service (PCRS) in Lewisham has been rated ‘Good’ across the board following inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in July.

The community-based service, which provides treatment from a main hub and eight GP practices as part of a GP shared care scheme, was praised by CQC for its compassionate staff and their holistic approach.

Lewisham PCRS provides a range of services, including medically assisted community alcohol detoxification, opiate substitution therapy, harm minimisation and an aftercare service.

CQC highlighted the individualised support that staff deliver, and how they help people who use the service to, “understand the different types of care, support and treatment that the service provides.”

Speaking about the rating Lyndsey Morris, Interim Operations Director, London and the South at Humankind, said:

“We are pleased to have been awarded a ‘Good’ rating for Lewisham PCRS’s recent inspection.

“The PCRS team work hard to ensure that the people accessing our services are treated with the greatest care and are supported to achieve their own personal goals, helping our people to thrive. This is reflected by the praise within the report commenting on our staff’s compassion, kindness and understanding of clients’ specific needs in a holistic way.

“We will continue to build on these strong foundations and strive to provide an outstanding standard of service care and delivery in the future.”

Danny Waites, Commissioning Manager (Addictions) at Lewisham Council, said:

“Lewisham Council are pleased that ‘Lewisham PCRS’ were awarded a ‘good’ rating following their recent CQC inspection.

“We look forward to working with Humankind and hope that they can build on this rating and continue to provide an excellent service to our residents in the borough.”

In the inspection report, CQC particularly highlighted that:

  • The service provided safe care with respect to premises, caseloads, assessing & managing risk and safeguarding.
  • Staff developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans and supported clients to set goals for their recovery and agree action plans to achieve these goals.
  • The teams included or had access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of clients under their care and staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team and with relevant services outside the organisation.
  • Staff treated clients with compassion and kindness, and understood the individual needs of clients. They actively involved clients in decisions and care planning. The service recognised that support from families and friends was often an essential part of clients’ recovery.
  • The service was easy to access, with initial appointments for clients provided within ten days of referral.
  • The service was well led, and the governance processes ensured that its procedures ran smoothly.

The Primary Care Recovery Service is commissioned by the London Borough of Lewisham and has been run by the charity Humankind since 2019.

Visit our Lewisham PCRS webpage to find out more about the service.

Read the full inspection report on the CQC website.

News

Rising number of drug related deaths represents a genuine public health emergency

Jack Keery

Humankind believes that it is a tragedy that 4,859 people died in 2021 as a result of drugs. The drug related death data published by the Office of National Statistics today indicates that for the ninth year in a row the number of people that dying from drugs has increased, and that the North of England and Yorkshire continue to experience the highest rates of death.

These figures mean that 2021 was the deadliest year since current recording began in 1993 and that the UK continues to have one of the worst drug death rates in Europe.

Sadly, it will take many years for the number of deaths to change significantly but we believe that it can be done if drug deaths are treated as a health crisis rather than a criminal matter. For too long, treatment and support for people who use drugs has been side-lined and there needs to be a joined-up national approach to public health planning that ensures people can receive the care they need from all healthcare providers.

The £780 million drug strategy that was announced by the Government in December is a significant step forward and the first year’s funding is already making a difference but it is vital that there continues to be stable and sustained investment into treatment services. Demand for support continues to rise though and funding commitments for future years must reflect this and allow treatment providers, such as Humankind, to invest in the work that will make the biggest difference.

Humankind is committed to providing a high standard of care to help people in their treatment and we are proud that two of our services have been rated Outstanding by CQC in recent months. We are working with people with lived experience to design better services and are striving to achieve an outstanding level of support across all of our centres.

It is not just about recovery though, steps must also be taken to reduce the harm faced by people who use drugs. Many of the deaths that are occurring are people who have used drugs for a long time and have underlying health issues as a result. Through measures such as increased provision of naloxone, easier access to safe needles and syringes, and testing and treatment for diseases such as hepatitis C, Humankind is focused on ensuring that people who use drugs face fewer risks.

We express our deepest condolences to the friends, families and communities of the 4,859 people who lost their lives as a result of drugs last year. It is our hope, that with concerted action and consistent investment, 2021 will be the final year that we see a rise in the number of people dying as a result of drugs.

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