Twenty Four:7, Gateshead Alcohol and Drug Service is an integrated drug and alcohol treatment service provided by NHS South of Tyne and Wear.
We provide specialist treatment and care to people who experience problems with alcohol and/or drugs, by working closely with other health, public and voluntary services.
Our staff come from a range of backgrounds, and have different skills and abilities. We are qualified nurses, social workers, support workers, project development staff and administrators.
"To provide excellent, effective and integrated care for people who experience problems with their alcohol and drugs use"
That is the aim of Twenty Four:7 and in order to achieve this aim, we have 5 specific objectives:
- To provide specialist assessment for people who experience problems with their alcohol and/or drugs use, particularly focusing on the health and social needs of the individual.
- To develop and deliver a range of therapeutic interventions and treatment in line with current research and good practice.
- To work together with other professionals, agencies and carers who are involved with people who use alcohol and/or drugs problematically, offering advice and consultation as appropriate.
- To provide training and resources to a range of professionals and agencies.
- To ensure that our services meet the needs of service users and carers, and to involve them in the development of the service.
Our staff are located across Gateshead, but will always try to meet service users at locations that are best suited or most accessible to them. These locations include:
- GP surgeries
- Social Service Offices
- Health Centres
- Home visits
- Drug and Alcohol services’ premises in Gateshead Town Centre
- Other appropriate venues of service user’s choice
9am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday. We can see service users at other times by prior arrangement if their personal circumstances make it difficult to attend within our standard opening times.
| Telephone: | 0191 445 54 00 |
| Out of hours mobile: | 07702833944 |
You can find extra information about the teams that make up Twenty Four:7
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Harm Reduction Service
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Care coordination team
The Care Co-ordination Team consists of Caseworkers and Support Workers. The Caseworkers are from a mixture of professional backgrounds including General Nurses, Psychiatric Nurses, Learning Disability Nurses and Social Workers.
The Team aims to provide timely confidential access to quality, evidence based treatment interventions to those people affected by drug and/or alcohol use and associated conditions.
- Initial screening or triage assessment will determine the appropriate level of need in relation to substance misuse in order to determine the most appropriate care pathway
- A comprehensive assessment to identify need in order to plan future care in partnership with the service user.
- A range of psycho-social interventions.
- Liaison with GP’s and Pharmacists within the Gateshead Shared Care scheme.
- Community drug reduction programmes.
- Community alcohol detoxification.
- Liaison with specialist residential rehabilitation/detox services.
- Rapid response to acute hospital referrals.
- Co-working with partner agencies to access structured counselling, community integration, alternative therapies, tenancy support, mental health support, promote general health.
- Annual health check which includes screening for sexual health, dental hygiene, dietary needs and blood borne virus status. With referral to appropriate service where need identified.
- Specialist support for pregnant users of drugs and/or alcohol.
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Criminal Justice Intervention Team
The Criminal Justice Intervention Team consists of Twenty Four:7 Criminal Justice Nursing Staff, NECA Criminal Justice Workers and Turning Point Arrest Referral, Court Referral and Resettlement Staff. Twenty Four:7 Alcohol and Drug Service is the Lead Agency responsible for overseeing the work of the team. Partnership arrangements are in place to provide an integrated team approach.
The Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) is a critical part of the Government’s strategy for tackling drugs. The emphasis is on crime reduction and the aim is to meet the treatment and social needs of Class A drug users in the Criminal Justice System. Gateshead is a Phase 3 ‘intensive’ DIP area. This includes the provision of testing for Class A drug use when detainees in police custody are charged with a ‘trigger’ offence.
The team provides advice and information, assessment and support at arrest. Ongoing support through prison via resettlement workers. Partnership working with probation including a comprehensive assessment of need, prescribing and testing following the court issuing a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR).
The work also includes contributing to the Prolific and Other Priority Offenders scheme (PPOS) managed by Probation and in partnership with the police to address the needs of drug using offenders. There is also a Housing Support Scheme for clients with housing issues including prison leavers.
In March 2006 the Home Office ‘Tough Choices Project’ was introduced. This has resulted in the team being involved in a scheme where drug testing moved from the ‘on charge’ to ‘on arrest’ stage of the police investigation process. The project is an expansion of the Drug Intervention Programme and is made up of three elements; testing on arrest, Required Assessment and Restriction on Bail.
The team provides a care planned and case management approach to the continuity of care needed to engage and retain individuals in the service. To achieve this there is a strong emphasis on partnership in order to deliver an integrated care management system for offenders entering the treatment system, from all points of access within the criminal justice system.
