1 week Ago By [email protected] (Piers Meyler)
Essex County Council is looking to spend almost £5m to help alcoholics recover from their addiction. The Psychosocial Alcohol Intervention and Recovery Service (PAIRS) has been delivered in Essex since 2019. The aim of the service is to provide community based psychosocial interventions for those individuals with alcohol misuse issues.
The council is looking to award a contract worth £4.6m over five years with the option to extend for an additional two years. It comes after data showed an increase in alcoholism and drug addiction n the county.
Local drug and alcohol rehab facility Sanctuary Lodge in Halstead revealed its treatment admissions in 2021 were the highest they’ve had since 2017. READ MORE: 'Unacceptable' plans for homes at site of historic pub thrown out by council READ MORE: Major shakeup for recycling in Colchester as council tries to save £1m Sanctuary Lodge, run by the UK Addiction Treatment Group (UKAT), admitted 438 clients into its residential rehabilitation facility in 2021. In the preceding four years, admissions rocketed by 15 per cent when 378 addicts checked in to the rehab in 2017.
Addicts from across the region admitted into the rehab for a range of addiction types, including alcohol, drugs, prescription drugs and behavioural disorders like gaming, gambling and sex addiction, the highest number of annual admissions on record. This figure is up 11 per cent from 394 in 2020, the year of the Covid-19 pandemic. The council intervention comes after the launch of a campaign run by support organisation Blossome thanks to £60,000 funding from Essex County Council.
The funding will cover Blossome, helping people affected by substance abuse, to develop its self-compassion training programme for the next two years. A statement said as part of Essex County Council’s procurement process to find a provider said: "The Psychosocial Alcohol Intervention and Recovery Service (PAIRS) has been delivered in Essex since 2019. "The aim of the Service is to provide community based psychosocial interventions for those individuals with alcohol misuse issues, ensuring the service is safe and appropriate and in line with current local and national guidelines.
The provider will work with service users to help them achieve their personal recovery goals and outcomes. “The service will also provide direct support and expertise within various acute hospital sites, working jointly with the alcohol liaison nurses to engage with and support those admitted to hospital with alcohol related problems, or where alcohol has been identified as a problem once admitted.”.
