About understanding integration of Alcohol and Drug Partnerships and statutory homeless services

Through a multidisciplinary team our approach blends the methods of strategic planning, service design and user involvement to understand the experiences of people who use services alongside those who deliver them to help design improvements which focus on what matters most to people.

Our blended approach involves defining existing data and evidence, mapping the system, seeking out a variety of first-hand accounts of service experience and exploring all of the findings with service providers and service users to draw out potential improvements.   

Examples of the longer term impact of our approach

The work undertaken by this programme has enabled ADPs and statutory homeless services to better understand service capacity and demand through the use of improvement methodology and tools to ultimately make better informed decisions on service policies and processes.

People experiencing homelessness and alcohol or drug issues have provided a wealth of knowledge which has invaluably driven meaningful service improvements.

By blending expertise across service design, service delivery and service use the programme has achieved a longer term aim of supporting better access to joined-up services which offer people the choice and control in their care. All partners involved in the programme have reduced harm and improved care by paving the way for future work areas such as Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards and Residential Rehabilitation Pathways.

Components of the Reducing Harm, Improving Care approach

To develop understanding of existing care pathways and identify potential improvements key components included:

• evidence and data
  • identify existing models of care coordination
  • understand current models of integration for alcohol, drug and homelessness services
  • highlight good practice examples
  • produce insights from data analysis
• user research
  • understand people’s experiences of homelessness with alcohol or drug issues
  • map user needs for an integrated model of care
• local system insights
  • understand local delivery models
  • capture innovations delivered during COVID-19, and
  • map potential improvements.