ISLE OF WIGHT

Dr. Morse and Gill Bradbury with Isle of Wight Team

It would be fair to say that by July 2004 the specialist prescribing service on the Isle of Wight was struggling with new challenges to reduce waiting times, recruit qualified clinicians and maintain a good quality service.

Within a week of being contacted by the local DAAT, two of our senior staff had visited the island and put together a proposal for a rescue package. We visited the island again to meet with the existing service provider, the local user group and other organisations working with drug users.

We had soon provided the service with an expert clinical nurse manager on a full time basis and an experienced doctor for two sessions a week. With back up from other DTL staff and directors they set about turning the service around. Four months later - it was almost unrecognisable - no waiting list, content clients, improved systems and motivated staff. After our clinical team was withdrawn, DTL continued to play a key role in organising the shared care scheme on the Island and continued to provide a level of distant management. The standard our team helped establish was set to continue.

“Many thanks once again… you guys seriously changed an ailing institution into a modern, needs-led service with harm reduction brought to the front of the agenda”
— Richard Porte, IMPACT, Isle of Wight Service User Group

“DTL provided a clear clinical and professional lead at a difficult time, allowing the improvement of a failing service to good provision within a short time scale, and they successfully cleared a large waiting list. I commend and endorse DTL, their clinical nursing and medical leads, and I am convinced of their ability to provide high quality Tier 3 prescribing services.”
— Susan Lightfoot, Safer Communities Manager, Isle of Wight Safer Communities Partnership

ACHIEVEMENTS

Clients / Operations
■ Tackled long waiting list ■ Complete case-management audit ■ Development of triage and assessment systems ■ Establish meaningful user involvement and consultation ■ Re-established arrest referral and DTTOs (inc. enhanced arrest referral for

Staff / Human Resources
■ Motivated return to work of staff ■ Properly defined roles and responsibilities ■ Introduction of a realistic case-management system ■ Implemented professional clinical supervision and support ■ Staff training and team-building to address attitudes, knowledge and skills ■ Recruitment and interviewing, including JD / PS design ■ Structural and service development planning

Systems
■ Prescribing guidelines, prescribing contract and out of hours prescribing ■ BBV – pre and post-test counseling protocol and training ■ Other policy and procedure, including QuADS & DANOS related aspects

Integrated Care Pathways and Inter-Agency Working
■ Meetings with other service providers including mental health agencies ■ Input into young people’s service planning and development ■ Assistance in service mapping exercise ■ Guidance to Drug Action Team (DAT) / Safer Communities Partnership (SCP) / Drug Reference Group (DRG) – including Treatment Plan for 2005 – 2006