Rehab service team attacks Government
A REHAB centre in Runcorn has accused the Government of failing to properly fund services that help addicts to quit drugs.
Oasis Recovery on Bridge Street said it has continued to treat up to two clients a day to prevent a bottleneck of users seeking treatment when lockdown fully lifts.
A spokesman for UK Addiction Treatment Group (UKAT), which runs the residential unit, said it made ‘drastic’ operational changes when the virus officially reached the UK on January 31.
He said UKAT formed a coronavirus crisis management team and managed to keep the Runcorn centre open and covid-free and treating addicts from across the North West.
The centre worked with 164 clients over 85 days between January 31 and May 23, and warned that without Oasis they would have continued their addiction at home, increasing the chances of putting extra strain on the NHS during the pandemic peak.
The spokesman said that compared to this time last year, admissions at Oasis Recovery are almost 20% lower.
He said the team has blamed the Government for its ‘chosen silence’ over what services to keep open during the crisis.
Nuno Albuquerque, UKAT’s treatment lead, said: “Time is of the essence when it comes to successfully treating someone with an addiction.
“As soon as an addict asks for help, help needs to be provided.
“They cannot wait until lockdown is lifted.
“This is why it was crucial for us to ensure our rehab remained open and able to admit clients across the North West during the crisis, and by acting swiftly we were able to keep all clients and staff safe during this incredibly difficult time.
“The Government chose to remain silent when it came to people suffering with addiction; they chose to not encourage getting the help they desperately needed and so we fully expect a rush of clients seeking treatment now that the country is easing out of lockdown.
“This is a dangerous approach to take, as in the last four months, their dependency will have worsened and for some, the delay in getting treatment may well have been fatal.
“Addiction doesn’t stop because we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, and so neither could we.”
Oasis Recovery has also launched online group aftercare programmes for all clients leaving treatment during the covid crisis.
These offer regular interaction with therapists and others in the recovery community to help prevent relapse.