We are delighted to announce the launch of our newly refurbished Cobbold Road hub at our New Beginnings service in Brent. The refurbished site was unveiled to service users, local partners and stakeholders at today’s launch event where attendees also heard from MP for Brent Central, Dawn Butler.

The improvements made to the New Beginnings Cobbold Road hub have created an even more welcoming and positive environment for staff, volunteers and most importantly for service users on their recovery journey.

Some of the key improvements made to the hub are:

• Brand-new reception area to give service users a warm welcome when they enter the building
• Larger group room including a kitchen area for service users
• Soundproof pods for staff to conduct online assessments and keywork sessions
• Easily accessible needle exchange room
• Capital Card shop available at all times during opening hours, giving service users the opportunity to access essential items when needed.

Tom Sackville, WDP’s Executive Director of Services said: “We are delighted to launch our new and improved hub at Cobbold Road. The new site provides a welcoming environment that will encourage people to access the excellent treatment offer that is available from New Beginnings, delivered in partnership with our clinical leads CNWL and service user group B3. We appreciate all the support provided by our commissioners at Brent Council for making this possible.”

The Cobbold Road hub launch event also included networking and a ‘marketplace’ where stands were setup throughout the building including WDP’s IPS Into Work employment service, B3 Brent Service User Council and ELEV8 Young Person’s Service.

New Beginnings is delivered by WDP and CNWL and is funded by Brent Public Health. To find out more about our service, visit https://www.wdp.org.uk/brent

WDP and Gilead Sciences have formally partnered for a second time to support sector-wide efforts to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) in drug and alcohol services by the end of 2023.

As part of this renewed partnership in with Gilead, WDP has recruited a dedicated Hepatitis C Coordinator to help its services achieve this 2023 target.

WDP has over 2,500 service users in treatment across the Barts, South Thames, West London and Cheshire & Merseyside Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs). WDP’s Hepatitis C Coordinator will be liaising with these ODN teams to better understand local needs and challenges as part of initial project planning and also to ensure ongoing high-quality partnership work.

In addition to this, WDP’s Hepatitis C Coordinator will also be working in partnership with the Hepatitis C Trust (HCT) and other organisations to improve pathways and take-up of testing and HCV treatment.

WDP initially received a Gilead grant in December 2019 to help increase its HCV testing and treatment uptake, enhance its data recording, and to apply its award-winning Capital Card® to its HCV pathway. The addition of the Capital Card meant service users could earn points by engaging in HCV testing and treatment appointments and spend their points on positive activities and products in their local community. Alongside NHS and Gilead jointly-delivered training to WDP teams, these interventions delivered a 114% increase in BBV testing uptake in WDP’s adult community services between September-December 2020, compared to the same four-month period the previous year, despite lockdown and other COVID-related protections.

Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP said: “We are extremely pleased to be continuing our partnership with Gilead Sciences on this important work. WDP is committed to eliminate hepatitis C in its drug and alcohol services by 2023 and although this is an ambitious target, we are confident that we have the right partners and people in place to help make this a reality.”

William McCully, Director, Patient Access to Care, Gilead Sciences said: “We are delighted to partner with WDP to deliver on the ambition to eliminate HCV in drug treatment services in England by the end of 2023 and look forward to supporting WDP’s Hep C Coordinator, the wider WDP team and the NHS to drive testing, diagnosis and linkage to care.”

Mark Gillyon-Powell, Head of Programme for HCV Elimination, NHS England says: “NHS England’s Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Elimination Programme is working towards a shared goal of eliminating hepatitis C as a major public health issue in England ahead of the World Health Organisation goal of 2030. We welcome this collaboration between two of our partners and recognise the important role it will play in driving forward hepatitis C elimination.”

Miriam Jassey, Southern Regional Manager, Hepatitis C Trust (HCT) said: “We are excited to work with the newly appointed WDP Hepatitis C Coordinator and look forward to further supporting the wider WDP team to increase HCV awareness, access to testing and referral to treatment through the lived experience of our peers. We are committed to working in partnership to ensure we leave no one behind as we work towards HCV elimination by the end of 2023.”

We are delighted to welcome Dame Carol Black to our residential detox and rehabilitation facility Passmores House today to meet with our IPS (Individual Placement and Support) Into Work team.

Following the release of WDP’s IPS Into Work Impact Report, Dame Carol Black will be meeting with our service users, our IPS Into Work team and Kim Archer, West London Alliance Commissioner to hear more about the success of the innovative employment support scheme.

In Dame Carol Black’s second part of her independent review on drugs, she identified employment as being an ‘essential part of recovery’ and called for the roll out of IPS services across England.

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.

Despite a challenging year due to the pandemic, our IPS Into Work team has supported 218 service users into employment and provided over 3,700 hours of support to participants during 2019-2021.

Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dame Carol Black to Passmores House today to meet the IPS team following the release of our IPS Into Work Impact Report. The report demonstrates how innovative employment support can transform the lives of people in recovery and we are proud to showcase the excellent outcomes and activities delivered by our teams.”

Kim Archer, West London Alliance Commissioner, said: “It is a pleasure to meet Dame Carol Black, and to have worked with WDP to help people with addiction to maintain their recovery and rediscover the opportunities and self confidence that employment brings. I am delighted that the West London Alliance was at the forefront of expanding IPS to this group of people.”

Read the full IPS Into Work Impact Report

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

Leading drug and alcohol charity WDP is delighted to announce that it has been successful in its bid to deliver a new integrated drug and alcohol service in West Berkshire.

The new service will commence from 1 April 2022 and will be operational for an initial five-year term.

Treatment and support will be available to all adults and young people who live in West Berkshire and require help with substance misuse of any kind. The service will be delivered from a fixed hub in Newbury as well as in a variety of satellite settings across the county.

The new service will have a strong focus on community, notably through WDP’s award-winning Capital Card® scheme and will bring with it WDP’s recovery focus and commitment to working in partnership with the areas we serve.

Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to partner with West Berkshire Council and to have the opportunity to provide high-quality substance misuse service provision to the residents of West Berkshire. As a lead agency in this field, we are looking forward to supporting the needs of the users of our services who are front and centre of all we do. We also look forward to welcoming our new staff team into the WDP fold.”

We are pleased to announce that our Cheshire West and Chester substance misuse treatment service (known locally as New Beginnings) has been rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The CQC inspectors highlighted that staff “treated clients with compassion and kindness” and that the service “provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the clients and in line with national guidance about best practice.” The inspectors also identified WDP’s Capital Card scheme as an area of outstanding practice in the service.

The report includes some excellent feedback from service users. The inspectors reported that service users described staff as “considerate, caring and supportive” and they felt staff had “gone the extra mile to help them”.

Liane Goryl, Commissioning Manager Public Health, Cheshire West and Chester Council, commented: “This CQC report is a true reflection of the fantastic work and dedication of the staff teams who ensure that the local authority substance misuse service is delivered in a safe and effective way. The kindness and compassion shown to clients, working in a person-centred way is incredibly clear and shows the commitment of the skilled staff working in WDP New Beginnings across Cheshire West and Chester. The local authority is proud of the service and recognises the outstanding practise in relation to the Capital Card which inspectors highlighted. The strong relationship between the commission team, public health and WDP allows for us to work together successfully. Thank you to everyone who works for WDP New Beginnings in Cheshire West and Chester.”

Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP, commented: “We are delighted with this excellent CQC report acknowledging the high quality of our New Beginnings service within Cheshire West and Chester. 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 individual who comes to us for support. Working closely with our commissioners is a key feature of our success and together we are able to deliver so much more. It is a partnership we value immensely and hope to continue to build on. We remain grateful to the users of our service for having faith in us to assist them in improving their lives.”

The areas of good practice that the CQC was particularly impressed by were:

• Staff developed holistic, recovery-orientated care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of service users and in line with national guidance around best practice.
• Staff treated service users with compassion and kindness and understood their individual needs. They actively involved them in decision making and care planning.
• The service was well led and governance processes ensured that quality and performance was monitored, incidents and complaints were investigated, and learning was disseminated to staff.
• Staff assessed and managed risks to service users and themselves well. They responded promptly to any sudden deterioration in a service user’s s health and when necessary and appropriate, staff worked with service users and their families and carers to develop crisis plans.

We are looking forward to using the findings of the report to continue to improve our services. To view the CQC report, click here.

If you live in Cheshire West and Chester and would like to talk to someone about your or someone else’s drug or alcohol use, please contact us on 0300 303 4548 or cwac@wdp.org.uk. You can also visit our service page for more information and to complete an online referral.

WDP has launched its Individual Placement and Support (IPS) impact report for 2019-2021.

The report reflects the huge benefits that tailored employment support can have for people with experience of addiction as well as the wider community.

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.

Despite a challenging year due to the pandemic, our IPS into Work team has supported 218 service users into employment and provided over 3,700 hours of support to participants during 2019-2021.

Speaking about their experience of IPS Into Work, one service user said: “I have been in services for 15 years and truly believe this is an essential part of the jigsaw of which I call my recovery. [I’m] looking forward to my first step in that direction.”

One key success has been helping service users to engage with prospective employers and building up local networks so they have access to regular opportunities. Over the last year, the team has worked with more than 100 different employers and IPS Into Work service users have obtained jobs across 10 sectors.

Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP, said: “At WDP, we are committed to supporting the development of resilient communities. Our experience tells us that helping service users to access employment opportunities, and subsequently supporting and sustaining such employment, is a vital part of what we do to achieve this commitment.”

Kim Archer, West London Alliance Commissioner, said: “We are delighted to have commissioned this innovative service from WDP. Employment is such an important part of sustaining recovery for people with addictions. WDP have been an excellent partner in delivering this personalised and effective service to our residents.”

Read the full IPS into Work impact report

Leading drug and alcohol charity WDP has been successful in its bid to work in partnership with Surrey and Borders NHS Foundation Trust and Surrey County Council in delivering substance misuse services in Surrey.

WDP will be providing services as part of the wider NHS service, i-access, which is jointly provided by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Public Health (Surrey County Council). The new service provision will commence from 1 April 2022 and will be operational for an initial three-year term.

WDP will be delivering one-to-one and group support for service users, as well as harm reduction. It has an award-winning Capital Card® scheme, and a unique family safeguarding service which will be co-located with children and families’ social services teams.

Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP, said: “We are looking forward to working together with the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust and Public Health (SCC) to provide high-quality support for all those living in the county who require help with their drug or alcohol use. This partnership provides an exciting opportunity to deliver meaningful support which will enable the users of our services to explore options to ensure a positive future. We also look forward to welcoming new staff into the WDP family.”

WDP welcomes the publication of HM Government’s 10-year drugs plan and, in particular, its adoption of the recommendations of Dame Carol Black’s Review of Drugs.

As a third sector provider of recovery treatment and support services, we welcome the additional investment in these systems. We are positive about the difference this can make to the health and wellbeing of those suffering from addiction issues and society as a whole.

The new funding will help providers such as ourselves to invest in more specialist roles to support our most complex clients. Increasing client-facing staff numbers overall will also help to increase the quality of personalised care.

The continuation of current increased funding is appreciated, as is the introduction of further investment, staggered over the next three years according to geographic areas of need. However, it should be borne in mind that every local authority has a proportion of people with the highest levels of need, and they must benefit from this investment equally.

A holistic approach to recovery, including accommodation and employment status is encouraging, particularly the commitment to have IPS employability programmes in every local authority by the end of 2024/2025. We have seen first-hand the effectiveness of this approach in our award-winning IPS Into Work service in West London.

The strategy recognises that addiction is a long-term health condition. This is vital, as is the focus on equality in treatment opportunities. WDP treats all those who access our services with the utmost dignity and will ensure that their voices are continually heard as the recommendations of this report are implemented.

We look forward also to the further development of the 10-year plan beyond the detail for the first three years outlined today. It is critical that the ambitions of this strategy are realised for the social, physical, and mental wellbeing of the nation.

Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP said “We are encouraged by the financial investment being put into drug treatment; Dame Carol Black’s Review rightly states that the ‘payoff is handsome’ with each £1 spent on treatment saving £4 from reduced demand on other services. It is imperative that services are evidence-based and robust, providing a comprehensive range of treatment and care to meet the differing and complex needs of those we support. Dynamic partnerships will be essential if the drugs strategy is to work, and this will require coordinated action within and between government departments and the drug sector.”

To read the government’s drug strategy, please visit: From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Leading drug and alcohol charity WDP has teamed up with SEND Coffee, a not-for-profit organisation that hires and helps people with special needs or disabilities into jobs in the coffee industry, to offer rough sleepers in Camden the opportunity to enjoy hot drinks in a friendly and welcoming local coffee shop.

SEND Coffee’s site at Camden Road overland station, Hidden Coffee Roasters, will be offering people who are rough sleeping and engaging with WDP’s INROADS Camden service to visit and get a hot drink, in exchange for Capital Card points.

WDP’s INROADS service provides intensive street support across both Camden and Islington for rough sleepers aged 18+ who are experiencing drug or alcohol issues and are currently unable to cope with attending structured treatment services.

The Capital Card® is an award-winning reward card scheme which empowers WDP’s service users and helps them on their recovery journey. They can earn points by engaging in drug and alcohol treatment and spend their points on positive activities and products in their local community. Full details of the offer at Hidden Coffee Roasters and all other spend options are available at capitalcardrewards.com.

Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP, said: “We are delighted to welcome SEND Coffee into our Spend Partner family. Collaboration with SEND Coffee will enable us to develop a partnership based on common values focusing on the needs of marginalised and isolated communities. The simple pleasure of enjoying a coffee together with their peers will provide the users of our services an opportunity to benefit from companionship which most of us take for granted. We look forward to working together with SEND.”

Dominique Spencer, Operations Director at SEND Coffee, said: “We are thrilled to be working with WDP and Capital Card! We are a social enterprise that works primarily with young adults that have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), however we are always on the lookout for ways to level up and extend our support to the wider community. We feel that this partnership is not only a no-brainer for us but is a crucial contributor to building a stronger support network for rough sleepers in the Camden borough, both for existing service users and future service users. We are proud to be part of this initiative and we welcome one and all for a coffee, any time!”

About SEND Coffee

SEND Coffee is a non-profit organisation on a mission to train those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities to become professional baristas in the speciality coffee industry.

During internships at our three London coffee shops, our learners are trained on a 1-to-1 basis with a dedicated mentor on a range of life skills, ancillary skills and, of course, barista skills. When the internship comes to an end, we support our learners in finding paid positions in speciality coffee shops (and beyond).

We also roast and sell our own beans! 100% of profits from coffee sales go back into funding our internships for our students.

For more information about SEND Coffee, visit sendcoffee.co.uk.

If you have any questions about our organisation, our partnerships, or our internship programme, reach out to our founder Harry at harry@sendcoffee.co.uk. If you are interested in stocking our coffee or would like to know more about how you can work with us, reach out to Dominique at dominique@sendcoffee.co.uk.

WDP’s IPS into Work service and the West London Alliance (WLA) have won the ‘Transforming Lives’ award at the 2021 MJ Awards.

The MJ Awards celebrate local authorities’ delivery of services and showcase the hugely important role they play in communities across the UK.

The IPS (Individual Placement and Support) model used by WDP is designed to support our service users into sustainable jobs, with a focus on finding meaningful work tailored to their interests. The programme is managed by Mental Health and Employment Partnership (MHEP) with support from Social Finance and provides up to 12 months of support to ensure service users are supported to sustain their employment.

The IPS model impressed the MJ Awards judges due to the impactful outcomes produced by the programme. The judges said the IPS model is not only changing perceptions of drug and alcohol problems but also changing mindsets and empowering people to move into work by providing wraparound services through a cross-partnering approach. Read the full judging comments here: https://awards.themj.co.uk/winners/2021-winners/

Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP said: “Helping the users of our services to find work can be an essential part of their recovery and wellbeing. This is what makes our work with the West London Alliance so special and this programme so important. It is therefore gratifying that the programme has been recognised for the excellent work it does by receiving this award. Transforming people’s lives in this way does indeed make that essential difference”.

Kim Archer, Programme Lead at West London Alliance said: “I am delighted that the WLA-commissioned IPS into Work service won the ‘Transforming Lives’ MJ Award. It recognises the quality service WDP staff have provided to their clients to overcome some of the challenges of the last 18 months. This should really encourage people with a history of substance misuse to put themselves forward for the IPS programme. IPS can change lives.”

Find out more about our IPS into Work service.

Pictured left to right: Ed Balls, Rebecca Odedra (WDP), Anna Whitton (WDP), Kim Archer (WLA), Harj Bansil (WDP), David Lillicrap (WLA), Chris Luck (Shaw Trust). In front: David Francis (WLA)