12.10.12
Drug treatment pilots offer flexible approach to funding
The Drug Systems Change pilot programmes have been shown to offer “important foundations” for a new approach to partnership working, research shows.
The programme, jointly funded by the Department of Health and the Home Office from 2009-11, tested whether local drug and alcohol treatment partnerships can be tailored better in response to local needs, by allowing them more flexibility in how they used a range of funding systems, unconstrained by central targets.
Seven pilots investigated how they could redesign commissioning and delivery of drug treatment and related social provision.
A collaboration led by NatCen evaluated the pilots and found that the biggest challenge to the programme’s success was fragmented communication.
The report concludes: “The freedoms and flexibilities offered within the pilot were important in changing treatment systems. However, freedom and flexibilities were not always sufficient on their own to affect change, nor were they always a necessary foundation to reconfiguring treatment systems at a local level.”
Chris Heffer, deputy director, alcohol and drugs, at the Department of Health, said: “With their focus on local innovation, recovery and continuity of care, the work undertaken by the seven pilot sites fits well with current priorities. The changes in practice they achieved required months of hard work and a good deal of intensive partnership collaboration.”
Sally Richards, deputy director, reducing reoffending at the Home Office said: “We are extremely grateful to all the pilot sites involved in the Systems Change Pilot programme for putting in this hard work.”
The report is at: www.wp.dh.gov.uk/publications/files/2012/10/Drug-Systems-Change-Programme-Final-report1.pdf
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