Alcohol and drug partnership propose changes to services

The use of inpatient detox beds at Murray Royal Hospital, Perth, is to be reviewed as part of a “redesign” of substance use services in the area.

A document drawn up by Rob Packham, chief officer of Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership, reveals there will be a proposed redesign of the beds at the Kinclaven ward, along with an analysis of other services provided to people who suffer from alcohol and drug problems in Perth and Kinross.

In his report, submitted to the Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board, Mr Packham says that an options appraisal was carried out in early 2017, which found that the redesign should cover “all substance use services” in Perth and Kinross, including the inpatient detox beds in Kinclaven at Murray Royal Hospital, Perth.

“With the recent severe financial pressures it has become evident that continuing to operate using traditional models is no longer financially sustainable,” he says in the report.

“This coupled with the improved quality of care which could be provided within a recovery-orientated system of care has led the Alcohol and Drug Partnership to establish a redesign project group with membership from all key agencies, including service users and carers.

“The beds at Kinclaven ward in Murray Royal Hospital are accessed by people from across Tayside so any redesign will require discussions at a Tayside level. An initial scoping paper is being drafted regarding the redesign of Kinclaven.

“Perth and Kinross, Dundee and Angus Alcohol and Drug Partnerships all face the same challenge – to deliver systematic change in a short time.”