Dame Carol Black Visits Turning Point’s Leicester to See Life-Changing Support in Action

Dame Carol played a significant role in securing a substantial rise in funding for the sector. In 2021, her independent review on drugs led to the government announcing the 10-year strategy, From Harm to Hope, initially committing nearly £900 million in dedicated, phased funding between 2022-2025.

During her visit, Dame Carol saw first-hand some of the positive impact this funding has had at Leicester Substance Use Service. Run by leading social enterprise Turning Point, and commissioned by Leicester City Council Public Health, the service offers a range of treatment options for residents affected by drugs or alcohol.

Family, Mental Health & Diverse Community Support

Among the areas where the service has shown exceptional growth and innovation are support for families with complex needs, people with co-occurring substance use and mental health needs, and people from ethnic minority communities.

The Families with Complex Needs team focuses on safeguarding and improving outcomes for children affected by parental substance use. The team delivers targeted, family-focused interventions designed to create sustainable change for families facing high levels of vulnerability.

In her independent drugs review, Dame Carol stressed that substance use cannot be addressed by treatment alone or by one agency acting in isolation. Instead, it requires coordinated action across multiple support services.

Reflecting this approach, Turning Point’s Leicester service has developed several successful cross-sector partnerships, including a multi award-winning project with Leicester City Council Public Health Team and Leicestershire Police to train more than 800 police officers to administer the lifesaving opiate reversal medication naloxone.

The antidote was administered 14 times in the first 12 months of the training programme — equating to 14 lives potentially saved.

Integrated Support for Substance Use and Mental Health 

For people presenting with co-occurring substance use and mental health needs, the service worked with Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland Integrated Care Board to create a multi-disciplinary Substance Use and Mental Health (SUMH) team.

The service is aligned to locality teams across the city and county and has improved access to treatment and more coordinated care for individuals with complex and high-risk needs.

Tailored Support for Leicester’s Diverse Communities

Leicester is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the UK. Recent Census data showed that 59.1% of Leicester residents identify from ethnic minority groups, while more than 41% were born outside the UK. The city hosts over 240 faith groups and speaks more than 70 languages.

In response to this diversity, Turning Point created a dedicated Diverse Communities Team with specialist leads for Polish, Black and Afro-Caribbean, Gujarati and Punjabi communities. The service has also secured additional funding for partner organisation Spinney Hill Recovery to further enhance this support.

One person who has benefited from the tailored support available through Turning Point is Ravi (not his real name), who began treatment for alcohol dependence and cannabis use in February. The Diverse Communities Team matched Ravi with a Gujarati-speaking key worker.

“Being able to communicate in my language has been integral to my treatment and recovery journey,” said Ravi.

“It has enabled me to express myself more openly, feel understood, and build a strong therapeutic relationship with my key worker who is culturally attuned to my background, values, and beliefs— key factors that have influenced my substance use.”

With specialised support and tailored harm reduction advice, Ravi achieved abstinence within two months despite initially wanting to pursue a detox pathway.

Dame Carol Black Praises Turning Point Leicester Service

Dame Carol Black, government independent adviser on drugs, said:

“It was a great pleasure to visit Turning Point's Drug and Alcohol Service in Leicester. I saw great effort being made to deliver a person-centred service which recognised the need for appropriate and timely psychological services and mental health support.

“It was inspiring to see that many employees were individuals who had personal experience of addiction.”

Rob Howard, Director of Public Health at Leicester City Council, said:

“It is fantastic to see Turning Point being recognised for the work they do in tackling the harm caused by alcohol and drug use in Leicester. We have commissioned Turning Point for many years, and we are incredibly proud of our ongoing partnership which continues to help reduce health inequalities, and provide vital, lifesaving interventions across our communities.”

Andrea Knowles, Senior Operations Manager at Leicester Substance Use Service, said:

“We were proud to have been selected to be visited by Dame Carol Black. I feel it reflects the exceptional service that we provide to the residents of Leicester.

“Our dedicated team ensures that every person that comes to us is given a tailored support programme that meets their individual needs.

“Through our diverse staff that includes clinicians, recovery workers, peer mentors, and therapists, and also our close relationships with other health services in the city, we strive to make sure that the people we support are given every opportunity to make positive changes to their lives.”

Julie Bass, Turning Point Chief Executive, said:

“Dame Carol Black is a pioneering figure in health and social care. To have her visit our Leicester service was a real honour.

“The inspiring work that takes place in Leicester, and across all Turning Point services around the country, is a direct result of Dame Carol’s tireless work to secure more funding for the sector.

“We look forward to continuing to build on the recommendations she set out in her independent review on drugs and hopefully invite her to visit more Turning Point services in the future.”