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Sir Chris, who is the Chief Medical Adviser to the UK Government and played a key role in the country’s response to the pandemic, met with members of the Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership and Lincolnshire County Council to discuss the recovery pathways and long-term support initiatives.
He also heard about the ways in which the team are working to reach some of the most vulnerable and isolated people in their local communities.
Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership has six hubs situated in Lincoln, Boston, Grantham, Skegness, Spalding, and Gainsborough. There has been an increase in outreach capacity with the introduction of mobile units which enable services to be provided closer to home for people living in some of the rural parts of the county.
Sir Chris shared his thoughts on the challenges that Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership faces, some of which were addressed in Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drugs.
The team discussed how they strive to maintain high standards whilst delivering services across six geographically different hubs and the need to reflect the needs of local communities who have different cultures, age groups, and patterns in substance use.
The service has teams that work closely with local hospitals, the criminal justice services and rough sleeper outreach. There is a dedicated team which works closely with local healthcare providers to support people with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues and give people the foundation to make positive long-term changes. People who use the service are also able to access support in preparing for work and finding employment.
The Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership team responds to emerging trends, using insight from people with lived experience and local systems data. Increasing use of ketamine, particularly among young people, has led the service to develop a dedicated ketamine pathway delivered by a dedicated team which includes people with lived-experience, in response to this issue.
The service has also worked closely with health boards and commissioners to create an ADHD pathway to ensure those at highest risk are able to access medication and support.
Horizon, the young people’s part of the service, facilitates drug and alcohol awareness sessions to over 25,000 students each academic year within secondary schools, alternative education settings, colleges and six primary students.
Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, said:
“I was delighted to visit the Lincoln Recovery Partnership and hear more about their important work across the county. In particular, I was struck by their flexible and adaptive approach, tailoring their offer to best suit the needs of diverse communities throughout Lincolnshire’s towns and rural areas. I am grateful to the staff and team members who made the visit possible.”
Dr Lucy Gavens, Consultant in Public Health at Lincolnshire County Council, said:
“It was a pleasure to welcome Professor Sir Chris Whitty to the Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership in Grantham. The service is delivering several innovative projects to improve the health of people living across Lincolnshire's towns and rural communities and we really valued the opportunity to share some of these with Sir Chris.”
Sarah Hancock-Smith, Regional Head of Operations at Turning Point, said:
“We were delighted to have Professor Sir Chris Whitty visit Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership and share with him the vital work the team does in serving a large county with diverse communities and needs.
“Sir Chris was impressed with the joined-up approach that substance use and mental health services in Lincolnshire have taken to support the most vulnerable people who struggle with co-existing health conditions. He was also keen to learn more about the ADHD and ketamine pathways being developed by the service.
“We hope that having Sir Chris visit Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership will lead to greater recognition of the challenges in serving market towns and rural communities.”