HM Coroner commends the work of DAAT Drug Related Death prevention lead for changes made in prison service.
HM Coroner Dr Emma Carlyon has written to the Council to commend the work of the DAAT Drug Prevention Co-ordinator, Sid Willett.
One of the duties of the Coroner is to identify issues to prevent future deaths. ‘Mr Willett went beyond the call of duty, (when reviewing a local drug related death of someone returning from prison), in identifying a number of important deficiencies in prison drug treatment systems. I am pleased to report that due to this, changes are being made within the Prison Service and I am writing to commend his work and bring this to your attention’.
Other DAAT news
Reducing Drug And Alcohol related deaths 2- Cornwall Hepatitis C Management Model
What?
The hepatitis C management model that has been developed in Cornwall has been cited as an example of best practice in the Public Health England report Liver disease in the South West: a health needs assessment. It is an integrated model of care for people with hepatitis C , incorporating partnerships between hospital based liver disease services and drug and alcohol services, spanning testing, treatment and care.
Why? The model was established after it was identified that Penzance had a disproportionately high number of patients with hepatitis C who were failing to attend hospital for treatment. To address this, the team worked with the local drugs and alcohol team to develop a plan for community-based treatments and a pilot delivering community-based treatment was set up in a local GP practice. This was successful with the ten patients who were initially treated being 100% adherent to the programme. Following on from this a nurse-led community-based treatment service covering the rest of the county was commissioned, and funding was obtained for dried blood spot testing. Prior to 2011 only venous testing was available, which represented a serious barrier to testing.
The programme provides on-going support and training to workers in the local drug services delivering the testing. Of 600 service users of the local drug service who are current or previous injecting drug users 86% have now been tested for hepatitis C, which compares favourably to the national average of 70%. Since the programme has been instigated there has been a significant reduction in Did Not Attend (DNA) rates and an increase in the number of people in Cornwall accessing HCV treatment. The report states ‘It serves as an excellent example of how NHS providers can work together with third sector providers to develop a regional hepatitis C management model which is fully cognisant of the often-complex needs of people with hepatitis C, and which works in an innovative way to address these needs. Importantly, the model can be easily replicated in other areas. While a rural model, it can be easily adapted for use in other areas, where the need for community-based treatment is just as pressing.’.
When: August 2015
