Shared care

Shared Care brings together all of the professionals involved in the care of a client, to make sure that they are all working together with one aim in mind, to help the client achieve recovery and get on with their lives.

Shared Care has been established now for approximately five years.  The service is made up of four clinical staff and two administrators. The clinical workers provide substance misuse clinics in partnership with lead GPs.  These take place at 18 surgeries across the district. They allow patients to get their treatment at locations more convenient to them and provide a more inclusive treatment package. The whole team strive to provide a service that allows patients to concentrate on developing their lives rather than remaining locked in treatment.

The whole of the Shared Care team are working towards the goal of helping all patients to reintegrate with society and not to be a marginalised group.  They strive to include carers and families of substance misuse patients in the treatment plan as well as all other professionals that could be seen as beneficial to the patient's treatment outcomes.

Shared Care takes the patient's view of their own treatment package very seriously and their involvement in treatment plans and care plans is always sought in conjunction with that of the professionals involved in their treatment. We also strive to take note of the patient's views of the whole treatment experience through regular patient satisfaction surveys and questionnaires.  Resulting information is used to develop future services for our patient group.

Shared Care helps the patients that have children look at how their substance misuse can impact upon their child's development and facilitate development and inclusion.

What services are offered

Psychosocial interventions

We offer Shared Care patients access to therapists who provide a range of psychosocial interventions including motivational enhancement therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy and social behaviour therapies. These therapies can help with cravings and thought processes and look at ways of developing social support networks that include family members as well as other professional organisations. All of these help to enable patients to take a more proactive lead in their treatment.

Well-being

We work closely with the surgery staff, providing hepatitis testing and vaccinations and wound management. The close work with practice nurses also helps promote a better well-being approach to our patient's care looking at issues related to diet, respiratory conditions, weight and smoking.

Health Visitor/Midwife

Patients who are pregnant can remain within Shared Care and receive all the relevant treatment and advice, between the midwife and health visitor.  We have access to substance misuse specialists that can liaise with the surgery team, or take over our patient's care in both these areas.

How to access Shared Care

You can refer yourself to this service or you can ask your GP to make a referral on your behalf.

Contact details

Shared Care Substance Misuse Team
Grosvenor House
8 - 20 Union St
Wakefield
West Yorkshire
WF1 3AE

Telephone: 01924 330500

Map

View Shared Care Substance Misuse Team in a larger map