working with DAATs

All D(A)AT’s in their annual treatment plans, part 2, Self Assessment, are asked to grade themselves Red, Amber or Green on the following points, meaning that the following points should be present within their treatment system carried out by either a local user group or user reps that have been trained to understand all they need to, to enable them to carry out these tasks, ensuring that user involvement in embedded within the treatment system in their local area:

Service users who are representative of the diverse communities within the partnership area, are involved in needs assessment, setting partnership plan priorities and are consulted on plan at draft stage and throughout the process with evidence that the involvement has resulted in action at partnership and provider level

Partnership service user involvement strategy which includes current, ex and potential service users

Resources and investment including user involvement expenses and remuneration arrangements, child care and transport costs; grant aid/funding to local user groups

Network of advocacy and support services aimed at drug users which involves, where appropriate, PALS (NHS), local authority and independent sector

Service level agreements require services to: display a service user charter, include user consultation in service reviews, and promote access to advocacy for users

It is important to ensure that all D(A)AT areas are setting up meaningful user involvement that spreads across the whole of the local treatment system, ensuring that service users/drug users are involved in the planning, tendering, commissioning, evaluation of service and that individual users are educated on what their rights and responsibilities are whilst in treatment and what standard of treatment they can expect from any D(A)AT commissioned service. The way OUT likes to explain this is in the following way:

Those 3 levels of U/I are:

Individual User Involvement – this level involves educating individual users on their rights within the treatment system, what services are out there to best suit their needs, what standard of treatment they should expect to receive and other information such as how long waiting times are for certain interventions

Service Level User Involvement – This level of U/I is attained by entering services and introducing new initiatives such as a “Service Users Charter” to be displayed with services and given out to users at initial assessment to educate users on what their rights and responsibilities are whilst in treatment, as well as, setting up small ‘User Groups’ within services that will feed into management level, perhaps by evaluating the services to help it to fulfill its requirements regarding involving service users in the service itself highlighted within Models of Care for example. Current or ex service users can for example, sit on Management Committees of voluntary sector services, take part in interviews for new staff

Strategic Level User Involvement – This level of U/I would involve user group members who have received training, sitting at strategic level meetings and forums, being involved in JCG’s (commissioning group who devise and monitor the annual DAAT treatment plan, its priorities and actions within it), DIP implementation and monitoring meetings, attending DAAT 6 monthly review meetings when the D(A)AT is met by the NTA to look at how effective the local treatment system is and discuss good and not so good practice locally. Carrying out ‘peer reviews’ of local services commissioned by the local D(A)AT and inputting those views into the Annual Needs Assessment to be carried out by DAAT annually, or on a more regular basis. This level would also include the local user group conducting more informal user focus groups and satisfaction surveys within local services or within the local drug using community to gauge how users feel about services, what is good, what is bad and what can be changed to suit their needs more effectively. This level can include a great number of activities, but all activities should be focused on ensuring local user representatives from a local user groups are at meetings where decisions are made that will effect the type of treatment available to them and their peers in their local area, where a rep would be the ‘voice’ of a user and report back to the local users on any changes that will effect them

Examples on how OUT ensures that all 3 levels of User Involvement take place in Oxfordshire and any other area we work in:

Level 1: This level is about educating drug/service users on care plans, waiting times, developments within the treatment field and their rights and responsibilities whilst in treatment. OUT always gives over relevant information to users when they present at forums and workshops OUT hold across the County. An example of this is: all OUT workshops take place in the local community, attracting as many drug users as possible to educate on harm reduction information. In this forum we would take the 1^st 20-30 minutes to talk to attendees about any developments within the local treatment system such as new services being set up, reviews of existing services and gather their comments on those services, as well as wider field developments, perhaps asking them for their comments on local NX services or any other pertinent questions. OUT also receives requests from DAAT’s or local services to ask users their thoughts on certain subjects they wish to receive user views on. A recent addition to this section of the workshops is to ensure that we fully explain all the new information about ’treatment allowance aspect of the Governments welfare reform, and how these changes will effect them as individuals. OUT will ensure that all users we come across either within services, on the street or through research programmes we may be running, are fully aware of what a care plan is, how that care plan should be constructed, what waiting times they should expect for all treatment modalities and how to access all these types of treatment.

Level 2: OUT asks the local D(A)AT to ensure that all services display a ‘service users’ charter’ and independent advocacy service posters visibly within their service to ensure service users have access to an independent complaints route and/or forum to discuss issues they have with services. Example of this is: OUT will help a community drug service to set up a small ‘service user group’ within that service to give their service users a forum to bring up any issues they have or to discuss any planned changes to that service. In MOC it clearly states that service users should be informed and consulted with regarding any changes to that service that will effect the service their ‘customers’ receive. OUT will offer training to any service user who wishes to sit on a Management Committee of a voluntary sector service as this is proving a very popular way of ensuring service user involvement. Some services may wish OUT to enter that service on a regular basis and to consult with service users to help the service keep on top of the needs of their clients. All services ask for feedback off clients but at times clients do not wish to air their real feelings as it is rarely anonymous and this can put pressure on the service user and make them worry their treatment may be effected by any negative feedback they may wish to give over, so, giving that feedback to OUT makes it easier to be honest and open.

Level 3: OUT will ensure that a representative takes part fully and competently at any meetings or forums where strategic level decisions are made, inputting into the meeting, the views of local service users, ensuring that their views are considered when decisions are made that will affect them. For example, an OUT rep will Chair on the local Joint Commissioning Group (the 1^st example across the UK, thus allowing the OUT rep to also sit on the DAAT Board) and ensure that services that are commissioned each year give users a wide range of options and services available to them. Another example, if the DAAT is constructing up a residential rehabilitation criteria, OUT will ensure that the criteria does not include goals that are un reachable to many, such as’ those who are not fully engaged with services, cannot be considered for funding’, we would find this hard to agree to as it is usually those who cannot engage due to heavy use and criminal activity that need rehab the most.

Another example: When the DAAT reviews or re tenders a local service, OUT will enter that service and spend a few days there, talking to service users one by one, staff members, holding a focus group with service users to draw out any ideas they may have to make improvements to the service, sitting in on any group work and will finfish the review by drawing up a document setting out users perspectives of the service, an outside view on the running of the service, results from the services user focus group and any recommendations we feel could improve the service.

OUT will also represent local drug and/or service users at all other strategic level meetings such as the following:
Shared Care monitoring Groups
DIP monitoring and steering groups
DAAT Business Meetings
Care planning, assessment and coordination developments to fit national guidance
Harm Reduction Strategy and Leads Groups
Women’s service development group
RCGP training delivered to GP’s, OUT will attend, giving over a user perspective on shared care and the importance of a good relationship between service users, GP’s and pharmacists
And any other DAAT events or meetings formed to monitor certain services or any new initiatives DAAT set up or are considering doing so

National Users' Network

Steve, United Kingdom, admin@nationalusernetwork.org

working with DAATs

http://www.nationalusernetwork.org

02:16 09-Sep-2010

OVERVIEW

KEY AIMS

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES