NHS and addiction registration body launch workplace accreditation program for drug and alcohol workers
Inclusion has joined forces with Addiction Professionals to create a workplace accreditation program for drug and alcohol workers. The program bridges the gap between work skills and career growth. The initiative is part of the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
The new accreditation aims to improve standards and services for people. The aim is to help workers improve their skills and become more desirable to employers. This leads to better retention rates.
-
“The drug treatment and recovery workforce has deteriorated significantly in quantity, quality and morale in recent years, with excessive caseloads, decreased training and lack of clinical supervision.”
- Dame Carol Black
Kieran Doherty, Head of Governance at Inclusion, talked about a new collaboration. Inclusion already invests heavily in training and development to provide excellent care for the people we serve” A review by Dame Carol Black supports this:
-
“Based on our experience in delivering IAPT services, we had started a project to strengthen the training and supervision provided to our addiction workforce. As a leading NHS provider of drug and alcohol services, we approached Addiction Professionals to collaboratively develop the accreditation pathway and reshape their offer to suit the needs of Inclusion.”
- Kieran Doherty, Head of Governance at Inclusion
For more information on Dame Carol Black’s independent drug review, visit here
Kate Halliday, Executive Director at Addiction Professionals said:
-
“An ongoing issue for providers remains how to conduct ongoing assessment of the competency of its workforce. Even if practitioners have existing vocational qualifications, these may have been obtained years, even decades ago. How can providers and workers evidence that they remain competent? This was the question that Inclusion put to us at Addiction Professionals, and over the past few months, we have been working together to develop a new, in-service accreditation scheme for drug and alcohol workers, whereby Inclusion can assess the competencies of their workforce, with external verification and accreditation being provided by Addiction Professionals.”
- Kate Halliday, Executive Director at Addiction Professionals
The accreditation lasts for 3 years. It has requirements for Inclusion’s structure. These make sure it meets national standards and is competency-based.
Doherty added:
-
“We hope that Addiction Professionals are able to work with other organisations to provide a sector-wide accreditation that helps to develop not only our services, but all drug and alcohol services across the UK, with patient care being at the very core.”
- Kieran Doherty, Head of Governance at Inclusion