Strain on services treating people with both mental health and addiction problems
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By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
Council officers say “demand is huge and resources are tiny” for services helping Nottingham people suffering with both mental health and addiction problems.
The programmes are currently treating more than 70 people in the city.
They aim to help people on the path to recovery, addressing other common problems they experience such as homelessness.
Nottingham City Councillors have been told that the city’s programmes are being seen as an example for other counties to follow since being set up in 2021.
Services are provided jointly by the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s mental health workers, the Nottingham Recovery Network, Change Grow Live, and people with real experience from Double Impact.
Councillors at the Health and Adult Social Care Committee on Thursday (July 11) were told that demand is far outstripping the current capacity.
A council officer said: “Demand for substance abuse and mental health support are increasing – there lots more complex cases. It’s really changed in last couple of years.
“These are individuals with really complex needs, who have often fall through the gaps. They may have been in mental health services before, fallen out, and their life’s got worse.
“We want to get them into services. We are thinking about a person’s journey and getting them to be where they need to get support.”
Figures show that 33 per cent of patients so far have been discharged to another service, while 31 per cent were discharged once treatment was complete.
Another 29 per cent of patients are unable to work with the services.
Estimates for how many Nottingham people suffer from both mental illness and substance abuse problems at the same time vary due to the difficulty getting data.
A key issue has been getting GP registration for people without a permanent address.
There has also been success in securing housing for some of these dealing with multiple issue.
Around two-thirds of those treated in Nottingham were male and a third female.
There is uncertainty about whether the grant which funds part of the service will continue after March 2025.
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