Nine-bed drug and alcohol detox centre in Fareham will serve 20 local authorities

The Dame Carol Detoxification Service, based in Kings Road, Fareham, will give help to those with life-threatening addictions from across the south of England.

People from as far as Kent, Buckinghamshire and Reading can be referred to the nine-bed service, which will serve 20 local authorities in total.

The unit will provide specialist harm reduction and recovery, with Inclusion and Two Saints both on-board with the scheme.

Dame Carol Black herself officially opened the centre after the building was named in her honour.

Dame Carol said: 'Local commissioning of in-patient detoxification and residential rehabilitation had decreased substantially in recent years, despite good evidence of their effectiveness and importance for people dependent on drugs and/or alcohol with particularly complex needs.

I am therefore delighted to see Two Saints and 20 local authorities coming together with the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to open this new residential Unit. It is sorely needed.'

Providing this type of support will help to reduce the need for emergency hospital admissions through the offer of planned, structured treatment, claims Hampshire County Council.

The unit will also offer crucial on-the-job experience and training for medical and nursing trainees in the field of addictions.

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The county council's director of public health, Simon Bryant, said: 'I am really proud to be part of this initiative.

'This is a new collaborative way of working locally and it will make a huge difference to those trying to get off drugs and alcohol - and for their friends and families.

'We are optimistic that this new centre will help a lot of people to move forward with their lives.'

Funding for the centre came from Public Health England.

Two Saints' role in the partnership will be to support people addicted to drugs and alcohol who are either homeless, vulnerable or at risk of losing their homes.

Chief executive Steve Benson said: 'We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Inclusion on this important service that will provide rehabilitation to people with complex drug or alcohol dependency and homelessness – and this is in line with our vision, which is to provide accommodation and support for homeless and vulnerable people, to help them build a brighter future.'

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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