On Friday 23rd January, Chloe and Caitlin from the Healthwatch Cumberland team went to Newcastle for an incredibly powerful conference, centred around lived experience of addiction and what research and work is being done to support those living with addiction.
The event, titled “Alcohol, Substance Use and Mental Health: Closing the care gap”, was hosted by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) for the North East and North Cumbria, and took place in Newcastle Helix building.
In the UK, addiction is present in all communities, with those living in more deprived conditions and people living with existing mental health conditions being more at risk. There is a significant treatment gap or ‘care gap’ between those who are living with addiction and those who are receiving treatment for addiction. According to the NHS, less than 20% of those with alcohol dependency are accessing support.
The key focus of the event was to highlight what research is being done in our local areas around the support offered for people living with addiction. This included insights into the ‘care gap’ and what successes we can celebrate with regards to addiction support. The Healthwatch Cumberland team went along to find out more.
Caitlin felt empowered after hearing lived experience stories:
“Hearing from people with lived experience of addiction was a great way to highlight current issues and provided some evidence into the findings of local researchers.”
“The most memorable moment for me was hearing from a lived experience speaker who presented a poem about her experience of asking for help during the height of her alcoholism. It was incredibly moving and empowering to continue working in this area to try and help those currently struggling. The lived experience segments felt the most ‘real’ and brought the research discussions that we were hearing to life.”
“The presence of Healthwatch Cumberland was particularly valuable as it became clear there was a gap of representation for North Cumbria. It was good for us to hear what work has been done, what is being done, opportunities to continue this work and to promote our report. The hall was filled with a huge range of professionals such as NHS staff, public health commissioners, academics, CEO’s of relevant charities, local authority officers and many more. It gave the opportunity for a joint discussion with some of the services we work with.”
Healthwatch Cumberland have recently been involved in helping to shape the future of addiction recovery services in Cumbria, through our ‘Behind the Addiction’ project. During this project we heard from 29 local people about their experience of living with addiction, living in recovery, or living with a loved one experiencing addiction. By collecting these stories, we were able to see some common themes in the experiences of the people involved. This allowed us to key recommendations for our local recovery services. You can read our ‘Behind the Addiction’ report here.
If you are affected by addiction, there are services who are available to help. These services include:
For more information about addiction support, visit the NHS website.
Image credit: Adept Study Newcastle University