Welcome to our first issue of the year. I hope you’ve managed to get back into routine without too much of a struggle.
With every newspaper and TV programme telling us what we should and shouldn’t eat at the moment, we decided to ask a nutritionist for sound advice for drug and alcohol clients. Helen Sandwell’s approach makes very logical reading – but is frequently not considered as part of the treatment plan. We concentrate a lot on the best way to respond to a substance problem, but might find inspiration from considering Helen’s straightforward ways to improve the body’s entire machinery, helping it towards recovery and a
renewed sense of wellbeing.
Advocacy has become a welcome buzzword throughout services, with many current and former service users filling an essential communicating role between clients and services. But there’s still a long way to go in breaking down barriers between some GPs and their drug or alcohol dependent patients, to ensure adequate and appropriate treatment. Alan Joyce of the Alliance looks at the growth of user advocacy and why trained advocates are needed more than ever.
If the new year means a review of your job prospects, keep an eye out for our occasional ‘working lives’ features. Elizabeth Flegg tells us how she got into personnel and HR on page 14 and gives an insight to her role. And for a heartening snapshot of an energetic service user group determined to grow, visit The Roundabout Factfile on page 15. A very healthy new year to you.
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