AT1175 Drug & Alcohol Support Service

Luton is currently identified as a 'Challenged Area' by OHID in terms of drug and alcohol treatment services. This was due to a reduction in the number of those in treatment and the lack of referrals and engagement with the criminal justice system. Numbers in treatment have increased significantly, including for those on the criminal justice pathway. We are therefore looking to procure three different service lots.

Lot 1 - Luton clinical drug and alcohol treatment service - providing clinical intervention, psychosocial intervention, NICE guidelines, specialist children and young person's service (8-24 years), in reach teams to hospital and Criminal Justice System Lot 2 - A new support service which will work with those who are not ready or able to engage in formal structured treatment due to various complexities and interconnected needs. Lot 3 - Luton specialist, independent drug and alcohol recovery service.

The services will form a joint alliance, offering integrated case management and utilising a robust Information Sharing Agreement. The three lots, plus the children and young person service, will be housed in separate accommodation to address the needs of the service users and providing a suitable safe space for service users on the different stages of their recovery, as per recommendations in the recent consultation.

It is recommended that recovery should sit independently from treatment, so each specialism can focus on their own areas to achieve the joint ambition of reduce the harms caused by drugs and alcohol in Luton.

The independent recovery system will:

• help to reduce risk of relapse by a reduction in trigger points; service users not having to attend the treatment service- a place that they may associate with their substance use, reducing the interaction with people still in active addiction, reducing contact with those who may try and exploit others- recovery can be a very vulnerable time. • support a tailored approach; recovery is subjective to each individual's needs and accountability, with many people choosing different beliefs and methods to achieve their recovery goals. • provide an increased focus and clear path for those in treatment, enabling them to move on from clinical treatment into recovery with ongoing structured support. • help focus on the social components of treatment journeys by building recovery capital. Encouraging and identifying robust protective factors that underpin recovery such as the repair of relationships, support networks & engagement in their community. • provide easy access to recovery support for those who may have managed their journey from dependency without accessing clinical treatment. • bring together recovery partners in the community, including the Recovery College, mutual aid and fellowship services.

All documents are available on the ProContract (Proactis) e-tendering portal. This is conducted under The Health Care (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.