Lifeline closing?

[Scallywag]

Saw this and thought about Karma. Used to be a great HR service until it sold itself to Recovery.

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/18/drug-and-alcohol-charity-lifeline-project-collapses&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjau6G63_vTAhXnD8AKHUr4AFQQFggFMAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNEELrrrWwOH-P-jUNaTeij1OEz-qQ

[OP8S]

Yes they used to be well thought of & then Recovery...drug treatment should be provided as any other treatment is, by the NHS. Not creating a private care industry.
Regulate drug markets & invest profits made by tax into treating those with problematic use. Can't be any worse than the current scenario which is possibly going to become a lot worse if the prevalence of various analogues of fentanyl continue to increase, along with the use of meth-amphet & other substances.
The Gov needs to get ahead of this situation now.

[simon]

I think I heard Addaction were also having problems, maybe the bids are just too low now?

[sapphire]

Oh dear, poor Addaction 😂, if only the same would happen to cri/cgl, we might have a stab at a decent, harm reduction based treatment and recovery service in this country.

[simon]

Oh dear, poor Addaction 😂, if only the same would happen to cri/cgl, we might have a stab at a decent, harm reduction based treatment and recovery service in this country.

Ouch

[John Divney]

If you go to the charity commission webpage you can see all the action there. I work for a charity and am involved with finances, we are expected to have in reserve 6 months money to keep going if something happens, we generally have around 7 or 8 months so if worst happens we can keep going and look for funding elsewhere.
Lifeline had less than a month in reserve and were spending £60m a year, all their income, and £5m in reserve, one month more or less.
http://beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=515691&subid=0
CGL are flooded with money spending £160m a year, all their income, but they have £50m+ in assets.
Addaction don't look healthy and there are rumours about them I have heard. They are spending £75m and earn £67m and have only £8m in reserve. They need contracts as they are flying close to the wind!
No doubt the cartel they have with Paul Hayes will divvy up everything nicely! Collective Voice, bet they've ordered new calculators!
Lets hope peoples scripts aren't affected as I am not sure that the CCG/NHS risk people would be involved in businesses like this, would they? Simon, who oversees patients care in a business like this when it does go wrong?

[sapphire]

In third sector providers the CQC oversee them, and I'd imagine as it's substance treatment that PHE would have a hand in it, but idk?

I sincerely hope this wouldn't have an impact on anyone's script. I had heard that cgl were taking over some of this, but how can that work? Do they tender? If they haven't something very fishy is going on!

[OP8S]

Surely if these charitable DSP's are going to go under then patients will not be left without a script & the provider will be obligated to transfer the responsibility of care to the NHS ? People can't be left without a script, that's the most important part of the service.

[Scallywag]

Where i worked lifeline only provided after care and didn't do scripts. They pushed recovery heavily and stay clean (horribly judgemental term) group work. The future of drug treatment is very uncertain but unlikely to get better, although HR may return when those forced off scripts return to previous behaviours?

[John Divney]

One thing is certain Scallwag, it will never return as it was, as much as we would like that. I just get the feeling that all this talk of SCRs and Naloxone projects will even mask DRDs and ODs as the symptom of the failure of drug treatment. No one likes corpses lying about and ambulances flying around again. I agree completely with the provision of both but only as an addition to the whole system, MMT and HR and NEX etc. Can't see extra money coming from LAs when they are squeezing the life out of drug treatment as it is. Maybe CCGs could fund them as they about health but I can't see it.
Anyway who the hell speaks for anything to do with drug use, even this election has hardly brought out any drug issues, bar the Libs...who have always like a good smoke. You can't even get an official NO from anyone regarding SCRs. Providers like CGL want them, academics too, health people, police, families....but Government?

[OP8S]

I think we're going to be seeing a new system where drinkers, people on OST, or using any illicit substances are herded into Recovery " hubs ". Observed consumption of any scripts which will be written & dispensed there, NEX, possibly SCR's, meetings that are mandatory to your treatment all focused on Recovery & Abstinence. People will be stigmatised because they won't be able just to nip into their local pharmacy, the choices will be to either tow the line or get what you want from the streets.
I hope I'm wrong & OST is easily accessible for those who want it/need it, sharps available without having to engage with Recovery itself but with no extra cash being provided, the Gov & LA's wanting us all to live by draconian drug laws I fear the worst.

[simon]

It's all going wrong, can't keep driving prices down for tenders without something going wrong, drug users are the equivalent of bins emptying once a fortnight instead of weekly. No overflowing bins get taking but there's still rubbish to go on the truck at some point so you hold it back until next time or dump it, burn it, take it to the tip yourself so it's DIY.

[John Divney]

"I think we're going to be seeing a new system where drinkers, people on OST, or using any illicit substances are herded into Recovery " hubs ". Observed consumption of any scripts which will be written & dispensed there, NEX, possibly SCR's, meetings that are mandatory to your treatment all focused on Recovery & Abstinence. People will be stigmatised because they won't be able just to nip into their local pharmacy, the choices will be to either tow the line or get what you want from the streets."

Fuck me! You dont work for Wirral CGL do you..?

[OP8S]

Ha,ha! I'd rather be on the dole than work for that shower of...

[sapphire]

Ugh, recovery hub. Sounds like my idea of hell. I bet there'll be loads of gurning idiots in purple t-shirts telling you how fabulous their life us now they're 'clean'. Dickheads....