public health news A Blackpool man has been nominated for prestigious national award

Public Health News. A Blackpool man has been nominated for prestigious national awards at this year’s Tackling Drugs Changing Lives Award.
 
Home office Minister Alan Campbell was delighted to announce that Lee Harrington from Blackpool has been shortlisted for the national award for tackling drug use in his community.
 
The Awards, now in their fourth year, recognise and celebrate the unsung heroes who go over and above the call of duty in tackling drug use in communities across the country.
 
Lee made the shortlist after being named the North West winner in the Drugs and Criminal Justice System category. He is now one of 28 regional winners who have been shortlisted for the two national awards being handed out on 9 December 2009.
 
Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said:  
 
“This year we received more than 200 nominations for drug workers and teams who work tirelessly every day to help tackle drug misuse and change lives.
 
“Drug use and drug related crime have fallen in recent years. Such impressive results could not have been achieved without the dedication of the many professionals and volunteers. Their work helps reduce drug-related crime in our communities; increases the number of drug misusers entering and finishing treatment and ensure that there is tough enforcement of the law.”
 
Lee Harrington, Service Manager at Drug line-Lancashire, was nominated for his work in establishing the Test on Arrest system which sees people who are arrested of crimes often related to drug-use, being tested for heroin and cocaine. The technique not only identifies drug users but also draws them into the treatment programme at an earlier stage than usual. It also identifies those who reoffend while already in recovery and allows health teams to reassess individual programmes.
 
Lee and his colleagues were very keen to establish the system and, in January this year, they received Home Office permission and funding to do so. However the team was told that it had just three months to set up the ten-person unit and establish the infrastructure needed to support it. Lee and his team worked around the clock to ensure they met the tight deadline, Lee said: “We had to do it, we felt it was really important for the town.”
 
“We know from working with drug users that they all reach a point of crisis. It may be when they lose touch with their family, when they lose their jobs, they find themselves living on the streets or get sent to prison. When that happens they may want to do something about their drug use, but it happens at different points for different people. By finding users early, and linking their arrest to their drug use, we aim to bring that point of crisis forward for an individual. It’s a wake-up call.”
 
Lee estimates that 60% of Blackpool’s drug users are in treatment and says Test on Arrest is an effective way of reaching the remaining 40%. Once users are identified by the Police through testing they are assessed and supported into appropriate treatment based on their needs by Drug line-Lancashire’s Open Outreach Criminal Justice Team. The team will work to support them in to effective treatment for up to twelve weeks with a range of substance misuse providers in the town. Lee said: “We know that if you can catch drug users early in their career they become drug free more quickly. Also, if we get users into the system and they remain in it for 12 weeks, they are likely to have a more successful outcome.”
 
Commenting on the award Lee said: “This was a team effort and gives us recognition for the drugs services work we have been doing here in Blackpool. It is a bit embarrassing, but nice as well, and it validates all the work that we did in that three-month period to set up the Test on Arrest team. Everyone pulled out the stops to do that and, since April, there has been an increase in the take up of drug treatment.”
 
Two national winners will be announced on 9 December in London who will each receive £10,000 for their organisation to spend on furthering the work of their project.