A day-long event in Dumfries has brought members of the region’s Alcohol and Drugs Partnership back together after two years of enforced separation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Staff from NHS Dumfries and Galloway, Dumfries and Galloway Council, and local charities, together with people with lived experience of alcohol and drug use and their families, met at the Crichton on Tuesday 28th June to discuss strategies for supporting people who use alcohol and drugs in the region.
The ADP’s independent chair Penny Halliday said: “A large amount of work continues to take place right across our region to address the impact that alcohol and drugs have on people’s lives.
“We continue to see the sometimes devastating effects that alcohol and drugs can have, but a range of services in our region play vital roles providing direct support to individuals and their families, raising awareness of these issues and highlighting approaches that can help.
“We haven’t been able to organise an in-person event for some time, but feel we now have the opportunity to bring people together to share information and understanding, listen to the voices of people with lived experience and build on all of this work.”
The event was organised in association with Figure 8, a health and social care agency with a team of researchers and associate consultants specialising in areas such as alcohol and drug use.
Andy Perkins from Figure 8 said: “We’re really trying to have a discussion about what the development needs are, how we work better together going forward and what our priorities should be. We’re hoping that everyone here will have a chance to see the big picture – what’s going on everywhere, not just in their particular area.
“The tendency is to focus on what we need to do, but every partnership has to be based on relationships – people need to share their aims, their visions, their informal knowledge and their abilities. It’s basic teamwork.”
Penny Halliday said: “The ADP is committed to reducing the number of people dying of fatal drug overdoses and alcohol as well as improving the lives of our communities overall.
“The ADP Development Day brought together people with lived experience and service providers for conversations centring around exploring better ways of working , reducing stigma, better communications, listening to people with lived experience and much more.
“The event was fully subscribed, and people have expressed their enthusiasm and passion to continue working together in such a collaborative way. It was agreed by everyone that a follow-up event should be held to assess the progress alcohol and drug services are making based on the outcomes from the development day.
“We will continue to face challenges but are prepared to meet these challenges together and do our utmost best to improve the lives of our communities.”
The Alcohol and Drugs Partnership provides information and support for anyone using alcohol or drugs on its website, www.stopdgdrugdeaths.co.uk. The website also includes details of how to get in touch with the Partnership’s member organisations, which can offer many forms of support including medical help, counselling, referrals for treatment, family support and mentoring.
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