Following the event that was held at Hebburn Independent Methodist Church at Christmas our service users (from the partnership) were invited back for a social event with parishioners, this included a quiz, buffet and time to socialise and to get to know each other as the church are really keen to support the service users. Being invited back has shown the service users they are accepted in the community and it enables them to integrate back...

During the festive period, it’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement and we often forget that our time and efforts can be just as precious as material goods. At First Contact Clinical, our staff and clients join together every year to offer donations to local, charitable causes so we can bring some festive cheer to people around us who might not have such a wonderful time. We offer a variety of mutual aid groups in South Tyneside...

This time of year is a good one for reflection and so it was at the end of the First Contact Clinical Christmas Party last week. As the final, customised chorus of “Five Hundred Miles” echoed into the impressive vaulted ceiling of the Clervaux Exchange in Jarrow we came together to appreciate 2015. This year, our seventh as an organisation, has seen some noticeable achievements. In the West of Newcastle we started to work with four...

Speed of access into treatment is one of the key factors in creating a recovery orientated system and is a priority for services across the country. The first phase of the project involved creating a process (or value stream) map from when people asked for help to the end of their “titration” onto substitute medication. It became clear that there was lots of waste in the existing process that we could target. Based on calculations of...