Partnerships – Humankind

Northumberland Recovery Partnership joins Humankind

Jasmine Rocks

We are delighted to welcome the Northumberland Recovery Partnership (NRP) service into Humankind from 1 October 2023. Northumberland Recovery Partnership is a dedicated service for anyone in Northumberland aged 18+ who is experiencing problems with drugs and/or alcohol.

The service offers a range of support provided by medical staff, nurses, and dedicated Recovery Navigators. This includes community-based recovery programmes, help to stay physically healthy, and support with people’s next steps into employment, housing and better health. Twenty three staff and 4 volunteers are transferring to Humankind.

The lead provider for the Northumberland Recovery Partnership continues to be the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) which, from October onwards will be working in partnership with Humankind.

Christine Hutchinson, Director of Community Substance Misuse Services with Humankind said “We are really looking forward to working with CNTW to deliver high quality services to the people of Northumberland”

The service will continue to provide the same range of effective, evidence-based support and wherever possible, people will continue to be supported by the same staff. The main change is to the non-residential rehabilitation service, currently the Oaktrees program / building. Going forward, this will be delivered using Humankind’s Recovery Academy, a bespoke recovery programme tailored to offer a range of recovery options. This will build on the existing recovery services, ensuring recovery is open and accessible to all from the start of peoples’ recovery journey.

Find out more about the Northumberland Recovery Partnership

 

 

Pharmacy staff save two lives after timely naloxone training

Jack Keery

Wicker pharmacy staff holding naloxone kits after being trained to use them

Medication that can save the lives of people who are overdosing on opioids has recently been used by staff at Wicker Pharmacy.

Following timely training by our new local drug and alcohol service, Likewise, pharmacy staff used naloxone to revive two people. Naloxone is a medication that temporarily reverses the effects of an overdose from opioids like heroin. When administered, it buys crucial time while waiting for the emergency services to arrive.

Our new community service recently launched in Sheffield on 1 August offering support to people experiencing issues around drug and alcohol use. Likewise is a partnership between national charity Humankind and Project 6.

One aspect of this support is harm reduction, which includes equipping people who use drugs, their friends, loved ones and professionals with naloxone kits and training them to use the medication effectively in an emergency.

Staff at Wicker Pharmacy undertook training sessions with Likewise during August to ensure they were able to respond should someone near their premises accidentally overdose.

Within one week of completing this training, staff members were called upon to apply their learning in real-life situations where people had overdosed. Without hesitation, they stepped up to save their lives.

One of these staff members was Joseph Ridge, a trainee pharmacy technician at Wicker.

“A member of the public came into the pharmacy reception and said that someone had collapsed nearby,” Joseph said. “As soon as I could, I went down the street and saw three other members of the public stood around the person collapsed on the floor. The members of the public were already on the phone to the ambulance service.”

Joseph realised the person’s condition was extremely serious, so he called his colleague and asked them to bring the pharmacy’s defibrillator and their naloxone kits.

As soon as his colleague arrived, he administered the naloxone to the person in need. There was unfortunately no response at this point.

Joseph remembered from his training that further doses of naloxone can be administered if someone experiencing an overdose remains unresponsive after a short amount of time has passed. After a couple of minutes, he decided to try again and administered a second dose of naloxone.

“Thankfully, the person did then come around,” Joseph said. “They still weren’t fully with us, but they were now moving on the floor. Quite quickly after that, the emergency services arrived and continued to tend to them.”

In no uncertain terms, Joseph’s ability to effectively apply the learning from his naloxone training saved the person’s life.

A similar situation occurred the same week as this incident on Wicker Pharmacy’s premises, which also led to another member of their team administering naloxone to someone they suspected was experiencing an opioid overdose. Their life was also saved by this team member’s action.

“The naloxone training was really useful,” Joseph continued. “There wasn’t anything I felt unsure about. It was obvious the person was unconscious and the ambulance service on the phone was also very supportive. They said if there was naloxone available, I should definitely use it. There was no hesitation from anyone involved.”

All staff at Wicker Pharmacy who may find themselves in a similar situation have now been fully trained by Likewise and equipped to use it in an emergency, like Joseph and his colleague.

Jon Findlay, National Harm Reduction Lead at Humankind who led the naloxone training with Wicker Pharmacy staff, said: “Knowing people have directly saved someone’s life after engaging with your training offer is one of the most rewarding feelings I can imagine. Joseph and his colleagues are nothing short of heroes and I’m so thankful to them for carrying naloxone. It cannot be said enough: naloxone saves lives.”

Ellie Bennett, Managing Director at Wicker Pharmacy, said: “When we organised the training, I wasn’t expecting it to be put it into practice so quickly, but thanks to Jon from Likewise our staff felt confident enough to administer the naloxone when it was needed. I am really proud of the way they responded.”

Graham Parsons, Pharmacy Director at Humankind, said: “Forging strong partnerships with people and organisations in local communities is at the heart of what we do. Without those partnerships, our work to support people with their drug and alcohol use, and ultimately reverse the trend of increasing deaths due to drugs, would be far less effective.

“We want to thank Wicker Pharmacy staff for their dedication to this cause and encourage anyone who wants to engage with our harm reduction training to contact us.”

Greg Fell, Director of Public Health at Sheffield City Council, said: “The prompt actions of Joseph and his colleagues at the Wicker Pharmacy are recognised and applauded. The fact that they had been trained and were in possession of naloxone at the times of these events undoubtedly saved the lives of two people.

“Naloxone is a game-changer, it is effective and very simple to use. Training can be provided.

“Sheffield City Council, in collaboration with Humankind and Likewise, is currently reviewing and expanding the provision of naloxone across the city and together we hope to save many more lives”

International Overdose Awareness Day takes place on 31 August every year. People who use drugs, their friends, loved ones, professionals, and even members of the public who may encounter someone they suspect could have overdosed are being encouraged by the new Likewise service to engage with their free naloxone training, get a kit, and save a life.

Harm reduction is seen as one of several key tools in plans to reduce drug related deaths across England and Wales, which hit their highest levels on record in 2021 according to ONS data.

Visit www.likewisesheffield.org.uk to learn more about the services Likewise provide and contact them for more information.

Likewise launches to support people in Sheffield with drug and alcohol issues

Jack Keery

Two people talk to each other. The Likewise logo is placed on top of the image in dark red colour
A new service aiming to support people who have issues with alcohol and other drugs across the city of Sheffield will open its doors on 1 August 2023.

Likewise, which has been commissioned by Sheffield City Council, is a partnership between national charity Humankind and Project 6. The service will provide free, confidential, and non-judgemental support to people who need it.

Likewise is the second service Humankind has launched in partnership with Project 6, after New Vision Bradford opened its doors across the Bradford District in April 2023. Project 6 has been providing support to individuals and families affected by substance use and experiencing multiple disadvantage in Sheffield for over 40 years.

The newly established Likewise and New Vision Bradford represent a significant extension to the support Humankind has been providing to people across Yorkshire for many years, through other services like Barnsley Recovery Steps, Calderdale Recovery Steps, Forward Leeds, North Yorkshire Horizons and The Greens.

Every Humankind service across the country that has been inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has been rated either ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’, including its services across Yorkshire.

Greg Fell, Director of Public Health, Sheffield City Council said:Sheffield City Council are delighted to be working alongside Humankind to deliver the new service Likewise, which will play a vital role in supporting individuals and communities in Sheffield impacted by drug and alcohol use.

We have seen the impact Humankind have had regionally and nationally and are very excited to be in partnership with them to deliver the goals set out in the National Drug Strategy ‘From Harm to Hope’.”

Emily Todd, Humankind Regional Director, said: “We are proud to be increasing the support Humankind offers to people across the country and in Yorkshire.

“With the local expertise of Project 6, feedback received from people we will be supporting and our workforce, and the extensive preparation that has been put in to launching the new service, we know we are in a strong position to make an incredibly positive impact on the overall health, wellbeing and safety of the Sheffield community.”

Vicki Beere, Project 6 CEO, said: “We are very pleased to be working alongside a partner in Humankind, with a track record of delivering exceptional services across our region. We look forward to this opportunity to build upon our years of experience developing community-rooted projects to ensure more people across our city have access to support and recovery services when they need them.”

Likewise will offer a range of support including harm reduction, recovery navigation, clinical and therapeutic interventions. The service will also provide support for family members and continue to work with people in longer term recovery to help them create a healthy and meaningful life.

From 1 August, you can contact Likewise for free and confidential support or advice about your drug or alcohol use, call 0114 308 7000, email info@likewisesheffield.org.uk or visit www.likewisesheffield.org.uk.

Forward Leeds director selected for international honour

Jack Keery

Dr Joe Tay, a Clinical Director at Forward Leeds, the city’s alcohol and drug service, is one of only four people from the UK selected to be a Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice by the US based Commonwealth Fund in 2023.

Forward Leeds is Britain’s second biggest multi-agency project to tackle alcohol and drug problems. It is partnership made up of staff from Humankind, BARCA-LeedsSt Anne’s Community Services and the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

This prestigious international placement provides an opportunity for medical professionals committed to advancing health care policy and practice to spend a year in the United States.

Dr Tay said: “This is an incredible privilege for me, made possible partly due to the amazing work that Forward Leeds as an organisation undertakes in supporting people with their alcohol and drugs issues.

“I’m looking forward to learning and bringing back insights and experiences helpful to Yorkshire, and hopefully opportunities for national and international cooperation as well.”

While he is there, Dr Tay will share his experiences of working in the UK. Dr Tay will also undertake research related to his role at Forward Leeds and engage in a series of leadership development activities.

Humankind Executive Medical Director Dr Roya Vaziri said: “As part of the Humankind senior clinical team, Joe has demonstrated a relentless energy to advocate for the needs of people who use drugs and alcohol.

“He consistently brings a methodical, systematic, and analytical approach to developing new ideas and collaborating with colleagues to improve service delivery and pathways. I’m proud to have supported Joe’s application and commend his tireless work.

“We will all look forward to witnessing his Harkness work progress across the pond, and to welcoming him back another year older and wiser as a key part of the Humankind team.”

The Commonwealth Fund was established in 1918 in New York with the broad aim of enhancing the common good. The mission of the Commonwealth Fund is to promote a high-performing, equitable health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable.

Being Human: our new five-year strategy

Jack Keery

Our new five-year strategy, Being Human, is centered on people: the people who use our services, their families, and the communities they are part of.  

Our ambition is to drive radical change, so people impacted by drugs, alcohol and related issues experience fairer chances to flourish in their communities. 

Read Being Human: a strategy for everyone.

A message from Paul Townsley, Humankind CEO:  

I am extremely excited about Being Human and what the future holds for the people we support. When developing our strategy we kept at the forefront of our minds our vision – that we want to see a world where everyone has a fair chance to be safe, build ambitions for the future and reach their full potential.  

We wanted this strategy to stretch us and to increase our impact. It is focused on the communities and people we work with, and I am confident that we will support more people through local services embedded in their communities and partnerships that challenge the status quo. We are proud to be a national charity made up of local services. We will develop the necessary partnerships to work with communities to make sure that local needs are met and that we are there for the long term.   

When we launched Being Human internally our ambition of driving radical change really struck a chord and started some interesting conversations. Everyone got behind the vision to make a real difference to the people we work with and recognised that we must continue to develop and grow as an organisation to do that.   

An image which describes the three goals in Humankind's new 5 year strategy. People: we will support more poeple at different points of need, from prevention, to impactful services, to have fair chances for a home, a job and purpose. Place: we will deliver local services that become embedded as assets to help build stronger, more confident communities. Partnerships: we will build partnerships that challenge the status quo to bring positive change for the people we support.

To shape our strategy, we listened to over 3,300 people: the people we support, our colleagues and our valued delivery partners. We learnt a lot, and the strategy has genuinely been based on listening to that feedback. Thank you to everyone that contributed, we couldn’t have done it without you.   

We want to keep listening and in the coming months will be collecting feedback on what people think about the strategy.   

Having joined DISC in July 2015 as Chief Executive, I am hugely proud of the success of our previous five-year strategy, which helped us evolve into Humankind, grow and support over 90,000 people last year. Being Human builds on these solid foundations and I’m looking forward to working with our expert and committed teams and the people we support to deliver it.

Read Being Human: a strategy for everyone.