Forth Valley Recovery Service helping hundreds with drug and alcohol problems amid pandemic

Recovery services have adapted to coronavirus conditions to help hundreds of people with drug and alcohol problems across Forth Valley.
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Safe and effective treatment has been provided throughout the duration of the pandemic by the Forth Valley Recovery Service via online and telephone consultations as well as safe, physically distanced home visits.

New approaches such as doorstep meetings and ‘walk and talk’ appointments have also helped to take the service directly to those in need.

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Staff from Change Grow Live, NHS Forth Valley, Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership and Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership, as well as other services, have worked together to give people quick and safe access to support.

NHS Forth Valley is among the organisations to have supported the Forth Valley Recovery Service Picture: Michael Gillen.NHS Forth Valley is among the organisations to have supported the Forth Valley Recovery Service Picture: Michael Gillen.
NHS Forth Valley is among the organisations to have supported the Forth Valley Recovery Service Picture: Michael Gillen.

Bases have remained open across the region for one-to-one support and staff have delivered medication including Naloxone – used to reverse overdoses – and harm reduction services to people who were self-isolating.

Forth Valley Recovery Service has been operating for a year and is currently supporting around 900 people at any one time across Falkirk district, Clackmannanshire and Stirling.

The organisation provides access to substitute prescribing, harm reduction services, CBT therapy and community rehabilitation.

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Recent funding from Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership and Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership is being invested in the recruitment of more harm reduction staff who will work across urban and rural areas.

The recovery service is also appealing for volunteers to help expand and enrich the support it provides.

Applications are particularly welcomed from people with personal experience of living with the challenges of drugs and alcohol in their lives.

The service is funded by Forth Valley Alcohol and Drug Partnership and works in partnership with NHS clinical teams, social workers and family support services to offer opportunities to help affected individuals make positive changes to their lives.

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Beverley Hubber, Change Grow Live Scotland services manager, said: “Staff have made a huge effort to keep treatment services open and make sure support is available to everyone who needs it.

“The people who use our services have responded really positively to working with us in these new ways and we intend to build on the benefits of this flexible approach in the future.”

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