A new Co-occurring mental health and substance use delivery framework has been published by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, to address deficiencies in service provision. ‘People with co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions can find it hard to engage with support, and services too often fail to meet their needs,’ DHSC states. ‘This must change.’
According to the most recent NDTMS figures, three quarters of people starting drug and alcohol treatment also had a mental health treatment need. However, people’s mental health and substance treatment needs are not being addressed together by services, DHSC states, with people ‘made to feel like they need to fit services’ rather than the other way around. Even after waiting long periods for a diagnosis, people are often then told that they’re ‘in the wrong service and need to start the process again’, it adds.
According to the most recent NDTMS figures, three quarters of people starting drug and alcohol treatment also had a mental health treatment need.
The new framework has been produced in collaboration with people with lived experience, clinicians, service providers and academics, and focuses on the key areas of strategic leadership and service design, data and monitoring, workforce and training and commissioning and incentives. ‘The actions in this delivery framework will only make a meaningful difference if there is a concerted effort and commitment across all levels of the healthcare system,’ the government states. The document includes a range of recommended actions for commissioners, service providers and clinicians to help ensure that people’s needs are being properly met.
Integrated care system leadership needs to ensure there is effective strategic collaboration between commissioners and service providers to deliver ‘high-quality personalised treatment and better outcomes for people with co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions’, the document states. Working with people with co-occurring conditions is ‘everyone’s job’, and services need to have a ‘no wrong door’ policy and ‘make every contact count’.
‘This framework should not be seen as the only mechanism for change but rather a step towards the change we need to see,’ DHSC says. ‘Other workstreams are also vital to achieve the transformation needed, such as NHS England’s Drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce programme.’
Co-occurring mental health and substance use delivery framework available here
Co-occurring mental health and substance use delivery framework: summary of actions available here