I had the pleasure to officially open a new recovery centre in Leigh last Friday. The centre, will provide life changing treatment for people with drug and alcohol problems living in Wigan and Leigh.
The Wigan and Leigh Drug and Alcohol service, run by Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, supports around 1,400 people in the community and offers opportunities to not only recover from addictions to drugs and alcohol, but also find employment and housing by working in partnership with local organisations.
The Leigh-based recovery centre began operating in September 2010 and has treated over 300 service users since it opened. Help is not only offered to the individual but also the family, friends and carers who are also affected.
The recovery centre supports the treatment and rehabilitation of people with alcohol and drug problems and houses two teams – an alcohol team and a recovery and inclusion team – who undertake assessments and help to put together individual care plans for service users.
Carol Marsh, Head of Wigan and Leigh Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service, said: “The new recovery centre has a greater emphasis upon individually designed care for those requiring support for drug and alcohol problems. The service encourages and assists individuals to have an input in their care plan and to take responsibility for their own recovery from substance misuse.”
The work done by this drug and alcohol service, and others like it, not only helps people on the road to recovery but prevents them from breaking down and accessing other parts of the NHS system – the ambulance service, A & E or, indeed, the police and other public services. The range of services provided all have the recovery of the individual, their family and community at the centre of what they do.
Burnham For Mayor
