A national survey of the frontline drug and alcohol treatment workforce has been launched by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
The department wants to hear from ‘all employees in local authority-funded drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services, commissioning teams, and those working in lived experience recovery organisations,’ it says, to understand the challenges they face, the support they need and what keeps them motivated. The survey will cover issues like high caseloads, as well as the lack of training opportunities and job security.
The results will be used to inform the implementation of DHSC’s ten-year strategic plan for the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery service (2024-34), which aims to ‘transform and strengthen’ the workforce over the coming decade.
‘Anyone struggling with drug and alcohol dependence should be able to access the help and support they need to live a fulfilling life,’ said public health minister Andrew Gwynne. ‘This can only happen with a strong workforce that is fit for the future. I urge people in the sector to have your say.’
Meanwhile, new research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has found that genetic predisposition to schizophrenia and frequent cannabis use have ‘independent links’ to the likelihood of developing clinical psychosis. The results will help to identify people at higher risk and develop preventative strategies, researchers say.
‘Our study is the first to estimate the risk of psychosis from both cannabis use and genetic predisposition to schizophrenia,’ said Dr Edoardo Spinazzola of IoPPN. ‘Interestingly, we found no evidence of an interaction between the two, suggesting they influence the risk of psychosis through separate pathways and could potentially have an additive effect where those with increased genetic risk who use cannabis are highly likely to develop psychosis. Through further analysis of cannabis use of different frequencies and potencies, we have shown that highest risk for psychosis is in those with greater genetic predisposition to schizophrenia who use high potency cannabis daily.’
Survey available here until 24 January
10-year strategic plan for the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce available here
The impact of schizophrenia genetic load and heavy cannabis use on the risk of psychotic disorder in the EU-GEI case-control and UK Biobank studies available in the journal Psychological Medicine available here