WDP is delighted to announce that the Hepatitis C Drug Treatment Service Provider Forum, which WDP is a part of, has been crowned the winner of the Best Healthcare Analytics Project at the HSJ Partnership Awards 2023, recognising their outstanding dedication to improving healthcare and effective collaboration with the NHS.

Winners in a total of 21 categories, were announced during a ceremony at Evolution London, on 23 March 2023, hosted by comedian Joel Dommett. The event was attended by over 900 guests, bringing together national healthcare leaders and professionals from both the NHS and private sector as well as figures from non-clinical backgrounds to celebrate the crucial contributions of the private and third sector within the NHS.

The Hepatitis C Drug Treatment Services (DTS) Provider Forum was nominated for its ‘Hepatitis C Virus Screening in Drug Treatment Services’ initiative, which aims to eliminate Hepatitis C from UK drug and alcohol services by the end of 2023.

Membership of the Provider Forum includes a collection of the UK’s leading drug and alcohol service providers and The Hepatitis C Trust. The group’s members have been working together to implement a collaborative reporting and monitoring approach in Hepatitis C test and treat data.

Marlon Freeman, WDP’s Hep C Coordinator told us: “We were extremely grateful that HSJ selected The Hep C Provider Forum to be a finalist in these categories. The hard work from its members is validated and shows appreciation in the mission to micro-eliminate Hep C in drug treatment services. Winning ‘Best Healthcare Analytics Projects for the NHS’ is an amazing achievement and displays our strong spirit of collaboration. Special thank you to all our WDP Data Leads.”

HSJ editor Alastair McLellan comments: “The national healthcare sector faced innumerable pressures over the past 12 months, yet the standard and overriding positivity of the partnerships yet again this year highlights the enduring dedication to improving patient outcomes. So, we’re delighted that The Hep C Provider Forum has been announced as winners in the category of Best Healthcare Analytics at this year’s HSJ Partnership Awards 2023. The Hep C Provider Forum stood out in an outstanding field of nominees, each showcasing the very best collaborations and innovations in the healthcare sector today.”

The winners were selected following a rigorous two-stage judging process by a group of 90 judges ahead of the HSJ Partnership Awards 2023 awards ceremony. The full list of Winners and those Highly Commended for the 2023 HSJ Partnership Awards can be found at https://partnership.hsj.co.uk/winners-2023.

We are pleased to announce that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated WDP Harrow as ‘Good’ across the board.

The CQC inspectors highlighted that the team “treated clients with compassion and kindness” and that they “actively involved clients in decisions and care planning”.

The report shares that staff “developed holistic, recovery-orientated care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment” and that they “provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of service users and in line with national guidance around best practice.”

The inspectors also identified areas of outstanding practice in the service, specifically:

• WDP’s Capital Card scheme, where service users can earn points by attending appointments and engaging with treatment, and then spend their points on positive activities in their local community. Since the last inspection, staff had updated the scheme to include blood borne virus (BBV) testing and eye testing at the local clinic.
• The service had a partnership with the local hepatology team, whereby clinicians offered liver function testing and then screened service users for referral into the hepatology pathway.

The report includes some exceptional feedback from service users. The inspectors reported that service users said the staff support is invaluable. They provided them with help, emotional support and advice when they needed it.

Service users described the service as a friendly, welcoming place where they are treated respectfully. Another service user said that the staff are good at listening, were non-judgmental and very encouraging in their recovery journey.

One individual described how the doctor ‘saved their life’ and went above and beyond.

Oasis Azeez-Harris, Interim Senior Public Health Commissioner for Substance misuse and Sexual Health from Harrow Council said: In my experience I have found it very easy and refreshing to work with WDP in that the management is flexible, responsive, innovative and always willing to try out new proposals to meet residents needs. As a commissioner, I am pleased to work with WDP and always look forward to jointly working together to respond to known and emerging identified needs of Harrow residents to ensure people’s lives are improved.

Vanessa Duke, Area Director for WDP Harrow said: ‘We are so pleased to have achieved a ‘Good’ rating from CQC, which acknowledges the hard work and commitment of our team in Harrow. The report showcases the compassion they have for our service users and the work they do to provide personalised high quality care to residents of Harrow. Being a part of a service users recovery journey is a great privilege and we are committed to working with them to continue to build on and develop the WDP Harrow recovery service. WDP have been delivering adult drug and alcohol treatment in Harrow since 2015 and we are proud of the strong working relationship we have built with our commissioners and we hope this partnership with continue to thrive to ensure the best outcomes for our service users.’

To access the full CQC inspection report, please click here.

If you live in Harrow and would like to talk to someone about your own or someone else’s drug or alcohol use, please contact us on 0300 303 2868 or harrow@wdp.org.uk

You can also visit our service website page for more information and to register for help online: https://www.wdp.org.uk/harrow

We are pleased to announce that we have been shortlisted for the Best Healthcare Analytics Project for the NHS Award, Best Pharmaceutical Partnership with the NHS Award, and Most Impactful Project Addressing Health Inequalities Award at this year’s HSJ Partnership Awards, along with our partners in the Hepatitis C Drug Treatment Services (DTS) Provider Forum.

The HSJ Partnership Awards recognise the outstanding contributions made to healthcare across the UK and showcase these achievements on a national platform.

The Hepatitis C Drug Treatment Services (DTS) Provider Forum has been nominated for its ‘Hepatitis C Virus Screening in Drug Treatment Services’ initiative, which aims to eliminate Hepatitis C from UK drug and alcohol services by the end of 2023.

Membership of the Provider Forum includes a collection of the UK’s leading drug and alcohol service providers and The Hepatitis C Trust. The group’s members have been working together to implement a collaborative reporting and monitoring approach in Hepatitis C test and treat data.

The Hepatitis C Drug Treatment Services (DTS) Provider Forum is praised in the shortlisting for ‘Delivering National Improvements in HCV Screening for Individuals Accessing Drug Treatment Services’, and ‘Engaging the Disengaged in Drug Treatment Services through HCV testing and linkage to care’.

Marlon Freeman, Hep C Coordinator at WDP said: “We are extremely grateful HSJ has selected The Hep C-Provider Forum to be a finalist in these categories. The hard work from its members is validated and shows appreciation in the mission to micro-eliminate Hep C in drug treatment services.”

The full list of nominees for the 2023 HSJ Partnership awards can be found at partnership.hsj.co.uk/finalists-2023

WDP and The Nelson Trust are teaming up to open a specialist women-only detox centre – the only one of its kind currently in the UK.

While there are some women-only residential rehabilitation services available, there is currently no women-only inpatient detoxification service in the UK.

A lack of women-only detox provision is a major gap and specific barrier to residential rehabilitation, as detoxification is often required before women who are dependent on alcohol or drugs can access rehab.

WDP and The Nelson Trust will be drawing on their respective and complementary strengths to open their women-only inpatient detox in Gloucestershire later in the year, ensuring that lived experience is front and centre of the design and development.

Anna Whitton, CEO at WDP, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with The Nelson Trust to find a solution and address this worrying gap in women’s treatment provision in the UK. Our significant experience, expert knowledge and clinical excellence in inpatient detoxification will help us provide bespoke, safe and supportive care for vulnerable women with complex needs at our new centre.”

John Trolan, CEO at The Nelson Trust said: “Having worked with WDP over many years now we’re really excited and looking forward to further developing a collaboration around trauma-informed women specific detox.”

If you would like to support or get involved with the development of this new initiative, please contact Anna Whitton on anna.whitton@wdp.org.uk.

About The Nelson Trust

The Nelson Trust is an award-winning registered charity, which was established as an abstinence-based residential addiction facility in 1985. We have been at the forefront of developing and delivering trauma informed women’s services recognising that women have distinct needs and require a gender-responsive approach. We offer safe women only residential and community centres where women can address their substance misuse and any underlying issues safely. For more information about Nelson Trust, visit www.thenelsontrust.com or contact communication@nelsontrust.com.

Leading drug and alcohol charity WDP is delighted to announce that it has been successful in its bid to deliver a new specialist smoking cessation service in the London Borough of Redbridge.

The new service will commence from 1 April 2023 and will be operational for an initial three-year term. It comes as an addition to WDP’s well-established adult and young people’s substance misuse and sexual health services in the borough.

The service will provide confidential, evidence-based behavioural and pharmacological advice and support to those who live, work or study in Redbridge, aged 12 and above, to help them to stop smoking or using other forms of tobacco.

The new service brings with it WDP’s commitment to co-production and working in close partnership with the areas we serve. It will also have a keen focus on accessibility and supporting priority populations including those who use non-traditional and smokeless forms of tobacco, pregnant women, young people, and people who are engaged with mental health services. This will be supported by regular consultation with service users and community and faith groups.

With a main hub in Ilford, the service will be embedded in the community, delivering a wide range of satellites and outreach activities in locations such as GP surgeries, COPD clinics, inpatient wards, mental health services, pharmacies, and other community sites. The team will be able to provide digital and remote contact, and WDP’s valued community pharmacy partners will also be able to provide smoking cessation interventions, supported by WDP’s Chief Pharmacist. This will ensure the service has a wide variety of accessibility options to reduce barriers to accessing support.

Gladys Xavier, Director of Public Health for the London Borough of Redbridge said: “Smoking remains the leading causes of preventable illness, premature death and health inequalities. The new service will deliver a flexible and accessible service working closely with our NHS partners and will proactively outreach with our underserved communities to support residents to quit smoking and tobacco.”

Craig Middleton, Executive Director of Services at WDP said: “This is an exciting new development for WDP and we are delighted to be delivering a specialist smoking cessation service to the residents of Redbridge. At WDP we are passionate about supporting people to improve their health and wellbeing and this is a perfect opportunity for us to support more people to do just that.”

Join our team

Visit our recruitment portal to view details of the roles available in our Redbridge smoking cessation team: https://wdp.ciphr-irecruit.com/Applicants/vacancy

Leading drug and alcohol charity WDP has teamed up with activewear brand FitbyCords to offer its Capital Card users bright and comfortable gym wear socks.

The activewear socks are available at WDP Harrow and service users can obtain them directly from the ‘grab and go’ cabinets using their Capital Card points at any time the service is open.

Users of the WDP Capital Card earn points by engaging in drug and alcohol treatment and can then usually spend their points on positive activities and products in their local community at our Spend Partners, such as gyms or eateries.

FitbyCords offered to supply some of their specialist gym wear socks to the WDP Harrow hub after visiting the service, as they wanted to help individuals who were struggling.

Cordelia Esson, owner of FitbyCords, said: “I attended the Recovery Month event at the Harrow service, it was such an eye-opening experience. The people who attended spoke about their experiences in life and how the WDP has helped them on the road to recovery. I am so glad I got the opportunity to see and hear what goes on, it also gives me an insight into what the organisation does.”

Max Griffiths, Capital Card Manager, said: “At the Capital Card we are very conscious of the cost of living crisis and with the winter season upon us, this exciting partnership means Harrow service users can use their Capital Card points to purchase a gift for themselves or a loved one, and keep warm!”.

For more information about the Capital Card®, visit capitalcardrewards.com

For more information about FitbyCords visit their Instagram instagram.com/fitbycords and Twitter twitter.com/cordsfifi.

We are delighted to announce WDP has been successful in its bid to deliver an Individual and Placement (IPS) service in Islington for residents with substance misuse needs. This is in addition to WDP’s existing West London Alliance contract in nine West London boroughs.

The IPS Into Work service will provide high-quality employment support to residents of Islington, who have substance misuse needs, to support them into paid and sustainable employment.

Since early 2019, WDP’s award-winning IPS Into Work service has focused on achieving sustainable employment to help reduce stigma, enrich lives, boost local economies, develop additional talents, and create workforces that reflect the diversity of their local communities.

The IPS Into Work service in Islington will have a dedicated and focused team that will build people’s skills through training and work experience in an inclusive and supportive environment. Working in collaboration with commissioners and services in the borough, the service will comprise of three distinct IPS components: Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG); Individual Placement Support (IPS) and Active Volunteering.

Lisa Luhman, Commissioning Manager for Public Health said: “Islington are excited about the development of the new employment support service, and believe the service will achieve great outcomes for some of our most vulnerable residents”.

Paul Anders, IPS Programme Manager for Office for Health Improvement and Disparities said: “We’ve already seen the difference that finding work via IPS is making to people around the country. We’re delighted that WDP is able to expand its provision in London – this will create great new opportunities for Islington residents.”

Craig Middleton, WDP’s Executive Director of Services said “We are excited that we will be able to offer our amazing IPS service to individuals in Islington. Working with a range of partners and stakeholders, this will allow people to realise their ambitions and aspirations to gain volunteering, training and paid employment based on their preferences.”

Join our team

Visit our recruitment portal to view details of the roles available in our IPS Into Work team: wdp.ciphr-irecruit.com/Applicants/vacancy/ips.

To find out more about our IPS Into Work service in Islington, visit our employment support page.

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of our Board of Trustees, Graham Boal KC, who died peacefully surrounded by his close family on 30 December.

Graham was an extremely passionate supporter of WDP and our work. He was a hardworking and committed member of our Board, sharing his valuable insight and expertise for almost a decade.

Graham had been the Chairman of the Seventy4 Foundation, a specialist addiction counselling service, and joined the WDP Board when the two organisations merged in 2013. His involvement with the Seventy4 Foundation came about because of his own personal recovery story and lived experience.

Graham was also a barrister for 30 years before serving with distinction as a judge at the Old Bailey until his retirement in 2005.

Among his many accomplishments was the publication of his memoir in 2021 called ‘A Drink at the Bar’, which he dedicated to WDP. He wrote engagingly and with compassion about his life, his work and his struggles with alcohol dependency and depression.

WDP’s Chair Yasmin Batliwala said: “Graham was our colleague but also a dear friend. Despite his recent poor health, he remained firmly and fully committed to our cause, working diligently and passionately behind the scenes as part of our Board to support WDP. He was a remarkable man and will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Graham’s family and friends at this very sad time.”

We are delighted to announce that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated WDP Greenwich as ‘Good’ across the board.

The CQC inspectors highlighted that the team “treated clients with compassion and kindness” and that they “understood the individual needs of clients and supported [them] to understand and manage their care and treatment.”

The report shares that staff “developed holistic, recovery-orientated care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment” and that they “provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of service users and in line with national guidance around best practice.”

The inspectors also identified areas of outstanding practice in the service, namely:

• WDP’s Capital Card scheme, where service users can earn points by attending appointments and engaging with treatment, and then spend their points on positive activities in their local community.
• In-house motivational and confidence-building courses available to service users, such as NOVA and Next Steps, as well as a peer mentoring programme and development opportunities for volunteers.

The report includes some excellent feedback from service users. The inspectors reported that service users described staff as “approachable, non-judgemental and supportive”.

One individual told the inspectors that their recovery, and continued attendance at the service, was due to the kindness and support they received from staff.

Service users also said that the group programme was supportive, “family-like” and run by clinicians who were knowledgeable. They also felt encouraged to ask questions and learn about their treatment, and that they were listened to whenever they had concerns.

Councillor Denise Scott-McDonald, Cabinet Member for Health and Adults’ Social Care, said: “We are pleased to note that WDP Greenwich received a good rating from CQC. Since the launch in 2020, during the first week of lockdown, WDP has tackled many challenges and increased demand. Despite this, the team has remained committed to delivering a specialist holistic treatment and recovery service to residents in Royal Greenwich.”

“The strong rating reflects the professionalism, dedication, commitment, and care the team at WDP Greenwich delivers. The service manager and staff team can be proud of the recognition of the hard work this inspection provides, and our residents can be reassured that they have a good service that can respond effectively to their needs.”

Tom Sackville, Executive Director of Services at WDP commented: “We are extremely proud of this excellent CQC report acknowledging the high quality of our service in Greenwich. It is a credit to the team for their hard work and commitment to our service users, as it recognises the importance we place on providing a service which is tailored to the needs of each person who comes to us for support. Our WDP Greenwich service is hugely important for the local community and we look forward to continuing to support our service users’ recovery and identify even more ways to reach out to those in need. Working closely with our commissioners is a key feature of our success – it is a partnership we value immensely and hope to continue to build on.”

To access the full CQC inspection report, please click here.

If you live in Greenwich and would like to talk to someone about your own or someone else’s drug or alcohol use, please contact us on 0300 303 4552 or greenwich@wdp.org.uk.

You can also visit our service website page for more information and to register for help online: www.wdp.org.uk/greenwich.

WDP’s service users will receive SIM cards with free mobile data (and texts and calls) via the Good Things Foundation’s National Databank.

This new initiative will support service users to access online groups and support and manage day-to-day tasks. The pilot has started in our Brent, Cheshire West and Chester, Greenwich and Merton services with the intention of rolling out to other services in the future.

Anna Whitton, CEO of WDP, said: “We’ve been working with service users to explore access to and the benefits of online resources and support. Very quickly it became clear that one of the most significant barriers to access was the cost of data. It’s great to have been able to find a solution to this specific issue, which responds directly to the needs of our service users and will also respond to digital inclusion issues more broadly.”

Annabel Hudson, BRIC Coordinator at WDP Merton said: “We have many service users who are experiencing data poverty and are unable to afford data. This can have a significant impact on their recovery especially considering many groups and mutual aid in the community are delivered through online meetings and groups. Those who do not have access to Wi-Fi and are unable to afford data for their phone are excluded from accessing a variety digital support which would greatly benefit their recovery from substance use as well as other aspects of their lives, such as the ability to look for and apply for jobs. Having access to data will open many doors and provide many more opportunities for disadvantaged service users.”

WDP has also received a Digital Inclusion Capability Grant from the Good Things Foundation to purchase laptops and Chromebooks to set up ‘IT cafes’ for service users in two WDP services.

Support provided through the IT cafes will include:

• Access to the internet and support to set up an email account
• Facilitating access to essential online forms (e.g. GP registration/appointment) and documents
• Basic IT skills training e.g. using Microsoft Word and access to online resources
• Facilitating access to free certified online courses
• Bills and debt management resources and advice
• Employability resources, job searching and application form support

To find out more about the Good Things Foundation’s National Databank, visit https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/databank/