Addaction
Addaction, Britain's largest drug treatment provider, is now transforming adult treatment services in Cambridgeshire.
A joint initiative between Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust is transforming the way adult drug treatment services are provided in the county.
Since May 1, services throughout Cambridgeshire (excluding Peterborough) are being provided by Addaction, the country’s largest drug treatment charity.
Addaction was selected following a comprehensive review of services and a competitive tendering exercise. The three-year contract will cost around £3.5 million annually. Addaction was formed in 1967 and over the last 40 years the charity has grown to become the largest specialist drug and alcohol treatment agency in the UK.
Services will be provided from three locations covering the whole of Cambridgeshire. They are Cambridge – covering Cambridge City, South and East Cambridgeshire; Huntingdon and St Neots – covering Huntingdonshire and Wisbech – covering Fenland.
The new services include:
- A single point of access – assessment and open access services
- Harm reduction services – needle exchange and integrated blood-borne virus service
- Complementary therapies
- Prescribing services – including specialist prescribing and GP shared care
- Structured counselling support
- Day and groupwork programmes
Drug treatment services in Cambridgeshire are commissioned by the County Council and the Cambridgeshire PCT via the Cambridgeshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) using a combination of government and PCT funding.
County Council DAAT Manager Tom Jefford, said: “Much work has been going on behind the scenes over the last four months to transfer services to Addaction and the changes that they plan will transform the provision of drug services in Cambridgeshire.”
Addaction expects to provide services and support to around 1,500 adults annually across Cambridgeshire.
John Ellis, Head of Mental Health, Learning Disability and Substance Misuse Commissioning, Cambridgeshire NHS Primary Care Trust, added: “We believe this new way of delivering drug treatments will give better access and improve health outcomes for services users – especially those in rural areas of the county who previously had greater difficulty accessing services.”
Contacting Addaction:
- Addaction Cambridge: (01223) 723020
- Addaction Huntingdon: (01480) 413800
- Addaction Wisbech: (01945) 584444
- Addaction St Neots: (01480) 406823