Walsall Drug and Alcohol Needs Assessment
Task
TONIC was commissioned by Walsall Council to conduct a Drug and Alcohol Needs Assessment. This followed a renewed interest in drug and alcohol provision generated by the Dame Carol Black Review and availability of additional funding from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. The purpose of this project was to review all aspects of the current services, identifying the needs and inequalities related to substance use in order to improve support services in the future.
TONIC’s Approach
TONIC adopted a mixed methods approach when conducting this project; data was collected through a survey, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and quantitative data analysis. A group of TONIC researchers travelled to Walsall to conduct in-person fieldwork which involved engaging with service users and the homeless community, observing clinics and group sessions, and experiencing the daily running of the current commissioned service.
In total, 187 people local to Walsall engaged with the project and voiced their opinions on the current services. There were 101 responses to the survey. 86 people participated in interviews or focus groups, of which 52 had lived experienced and 34 were either members of CGL staff or key external stakeholders.
TONIC grouped themes derived from Thematic Analysis under the three key strands of the national Drug Strategy:
Breaking Drug Supply Chains
Delivering a world-class treatment and recovery system
Achieving a generational shift in the demand for drugs.
Findings were then used to inform recommendations that TONIC proposed to the commissioners.
Outcome
TONIC wrote a comprehensive report detailing the findings of the project and proposed 21 recommendations that were presented to the commissioners. The recommendations all fell under one of the three themes mentioned above and included, but were not limited to:
Cohesive School Representation
Involvement of Community Leaders in disruption and supply
Multi-Agency Working with Police
Training Frontline Professionals in identifying vulnerability to exploitation
LGBTQ+ Engagement
Improving Access to Treatment through other agencies
Community and satellite Hubs
Increased Outreach to Vulnerable Groups
Blood Tests In-House
Provision of in-house therapeutic support and ability to prescribe mental health medication
Expansion of hidden harm service
Off the back of our recommendations, TONIC also presented at the inaugural drug strategy group for a strategic action plan to be implemented.