The Southern Health and Social Care Trust Community Addictions Service supports individuals who are experiencing issues with harmful use of substances or substance dependency, and with an expressed desire to moderate or cease their substance intake.  

Referrals to the service are predominantly made by GPs and statutory Mental Health Professionals.

The service includes: three locality based Community Addiction Teams, Opiate Substitution Therapy Team, Dual Diagnosis (Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Use) Service, Community Alcohol Detox Service, Child and Family Liaison Service, and Family Support Interventions.

Service provision includes:

• Comprehensive and holistic addictions assessment
• Information and education regarding substance use
• Interventions that are aimed at increasing and supporting service user’s motivation to change and reduce harm from their substance use
• Exploration of how to begin, develop and maintain the process of changing substance use behaviour through individual and group work
• Interventions focused on relapse prevention and self-development
• Opiate substitution therapy
• Overdose prevention and awareness training
• Blood bourne virus testing and vaccination
• Advice and support to carers and loved ones

Criteria:

• Individuals to be aged 18 year or over
• Individuals who reside in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area and registered with a GP
• Individuals who have an AUDIT score above 20 and/or an LDQ score of 10-22 plus complex issues or LDQ score above 22
• Individuals who are experiencing physical and/or mental health problems due to their substance use
• Individuals who are experiencing difficulties with  their employment, family relationships, education, finances or other life responsibility due to their substance use

Additional Criteria for Urgent Referral:

• Chaotic high risk poly substance use, including heroin/crystal meth misuse; injecting drug use
• Coexisting mental health disorder that has been destabilised due to substance use. 
• Recent DSH and ongoing TSH with active plan and/or intent.

• Significant physical health problems due to complications of drug/alcohol use (see list below for examples_­*)
• Pregnant
• Childcare risks/concerns
• Adult safeguarding risks/concerns
• Requires follow up post discharge from a regional addictions inpatient unit
• Recently released from prison requiring intervention
• Homeless

*List of physical health issues that may indicate need for urgent review (this list is not exhaustive-please seek advice from CAT medical colleagues if you are unsure):

• Severe alcohol related liver disease
• Memory problems suggestive of Alcohol Related Brain Injury
• Unsteady gait/peripheral neuropathy
• Malnourishment
• Blood-borne virus infection and not on treatment-Hep C, HIV, Hep B
• Complications from injecting drug use requiring hospital treatment e.g. DVT/PE, recurrent abscesses/skin infections, sepsis, endocarditis
• Gastric ulceration/kidney problems from Nurofen plus usage
• History of alcohol withdrawal seizures/delirium tremens and still drinking

Referrals from GPs and GP Federation mental health practitioners are made via CCG to the Mental Health Booking Centre.

Referrals from Mental Professionals are made directly by contacting the Community Addictions Service and/or via the electronic recording system.