The Addiction Psychology Service have won the Chair’s Award at the NHS Lanarkshire Staff Awards.
The team is a Lanarkshire-wide psychological service for people with addiction and mental health difficulties. They offer individual and group psychological therapy and also offer consultation, training, and coaching to support the work of wider addiction services.
Dr Michelle Cook, head of the Addiction Psychology Service for NHS Lanarkshire, said: “The Addiction Psychology Service aims to understand what’s underlying people’s addiction, why people are using substances, and how services can help people find new ways to cope.
“The team are passionate about challenging stigma and promoting understanding of addiction and trauma. We work closely with the wider teams to help them to bring a psychologically- and trauma-informed approach to their work.
“The team were nominated for the award for this collaborative approach to working. We work in partnership with colleagues in the statutory and third sector, and with people with lived experience of addiction. Building relationships is a key focus for the service, and the team works hard to support both patients and colleagues”.
Particular recognition was given to the innovative approach to addiction and recovery being taken in the Beacons recovery communities in South Lanarkshire. The Beacons showcase the whole system approach that the Addiction Psychology Service adopts.
The team has two clinicians embedded in the recovery communities, which means that there is ready access to direct psychological therapy, and the clinicians are also able to work to make the entire system trauma informed. Within the Beacons the team have had an opportunity to develop closer partnerships with people with lived experience of addiction and recovery, and new models of co-production of therapy, training and service delivery.
Martin Hill, chair of NHS Lanarkshire, said: ““The team has shown compassion, determination and a team who exemplifies NHS Lanarkshire’s values of fairness, respect, quality and working together
“This service works across Lanarkshire to adopt a whole system approach – by offering training, consultation, implementation support and governance oversight in relation to psychosocial interventions across statutory and third sector organisations
“The vast majority of people accessing addiction services use substances to manage psychological distress, and as such, psychological interventions are essential for recovery.”
Speaking of her department winning the award, Michelle said: ““It made me so proud that the hard work of the team has been recognized by our colleagues and that they sought to nominate us for our innovative and collaborative practice.
“We are delighted to have won the Chair’s award. It has made us feel valued as a team, and it’s also fantastic that the good work occurring within addiction services in Lanarkshire has been brought to wider attention.”
For more information on the NHS Lanarkshire staff awards and the winners, visit: https://www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/news-nhs-lanarkshire-recognises-inspirational-staff/
