Detox5.co.uk

A five day opiate withdrawal programme gives general and mental health nurses the opportunity to help people turn their lives aroundCygnet’s unique approach to detox transforms lives assessed to ensure they have appropriate time for patients to take naltrexone because support in place and that they will not be it gets them through all the good and bad returning to an environment where they are opiates have something awful in their past so it is important to give them this support,” home that they share with other drug users eNTAl heAlTh cAre Acute mental health care services support people with a wide range of mental health problems, many of whom live with longstanding conditions either independently or with support from community mental health services. Such people occasionally experience crises and require admission for inpatient care to naltrexone implant, which releases the drug stabilise them. In many cases a admission referred directly from their GP, although for a short period is enough to resolve the “Since the first three months are the most crisis and enable them to return home.
difficult for patients, an implant can take privately funded as government policy on pressure off their relationship with their supervisor,” explains Sharon. “These health treatment and associated services. rather than detoxification over the past few AcuTe M The company has a range of facilities across years. The current government appears fraught, especially if the supervisor has been the country offering a broad spectrum of more interested in detoxification, and if this coping with the patient’s drug use for years, mental healthcare. Its hospital in Harrogate translates into policy change there may be has a 19-bed acute admissions unit offering medication on a daily basis can add to the standard acute care similar to that seen However, the hospital also offers a unique for a comfortable way of withdrawing from programme and patients’ medical needs the service to people who are addicted to heroin or other opiates. Its 14-bed Detox 5 centre “It real y is so rewarding – it’s a numbers of general and mental health
nurses, and is looking to recruit more of great feeling when your
both groups to its team. In order to work on through an inpatient treatment programme patients achieve al their
and willing to give people another chance. objectives in only a week”
The unit not only offers nurses a unique setting and treatment programme, but also opiates. They are lightly sedated for the first the opportunity to pick up skills they are clinical director at the hospital, says the few days, so they sleep for much of what is usually the most physically difficult time. combination of mental health and general “We liaise with the patient’s family, GP They also receive symptomatic relief such as pain control and drugs to combat nausea, appropriate,” she explains. “The assessment and are closely monitored to ensure they looks at the patient’s physical and mental health to check they are well enough to go through the programme, but we also assess years ago after working in burns and plastic them psychologically to be sure that they are evening, when they are able to socialise. surgery. She is passionate about the service They are also allowed to make phone calls Patients’ social circumstances are also from a pre-approved list of contacts. These “It’s a quite unique place,” she says. “It measures are important to prevent patients really turns people’s lives round, and the from discussing their drug use with each cards and letters we receive really show that. services offered by cygnet
other or contacting drug-related contacts It really is rewarding – especially when you The company offers a range of services
outside. For the same reason the unit does including:
not accept patients from the same post code addiction for 20 or 30 years. It’s also a great l Addiction treatment
feeling when your patients achieve all their l Private psychiatry
l Counsel ing and therapy
“We see patients from all walks of life – a l Low secure rehabilitation
naltrexone, an opiate blocker that will rid lot of them are quite high fliers who came to their body of any remaining opiates. The heroin via cocaine. The most heartbreaking l Medium secure care
drug also blocks the euphoria associated to me are the ones who are in their thirties l Psychiatric intensive care
.nursingtimesjobs.com/alerts
with opiate use, so they continue to take the and took heroin for six months in their late l Borderline personality disorder care
drug for a year after discharge. The drug is l Eating disorder treatment
administered by a “supervisor” - this may getting off the methadone they have been l Autism services
be a family member or friend who agrees to prescribed ever since. Those people could l Elderly mental health care
support the patient through the year.
have been through detox so long ago, so it Boost your job search with job alerts
Visit www
“We believe a year is the right amount of Nursing Times 14 September Vol 106 No 36 www.nursingtimes.net

Source: http://www.detox5.co.uk/docstore/030_nt_100914.pdf