The community drug and alcohol teams in County Durham are now integrated. To contact the teams, please call 03000 266 666 and select one of the following options:
Option 1 – Derwentside
Eden House, 1 Station Road, Consett, Co Durham DH18 5RL
Option 2 – Durham
81-88 Whinney Hill, Old Elvet, Durham, DH1 1BQ
Option 3 – Seaham
37 Church Street, Seaham SR7 7EJ
Option 4 – Peterlee
Floor 4, Ridgemount House, Peterlee, SR8 1EA
Option 5 – The Dales
Castlebridge Centre, 42 Market Place, Bishop Auckland, DL14 7PB
Option 6 – Sedgefield
1st floor, Thames House, Beveridge Way, Newton Aycliffe DL5 4SH. Tel: 01325 372 500
About the service
This is a confidential, multi-agency service for adults (aged 18 years and over) experiencing substance misuse difficulties. The aim of the service is to provide harm minimisation, treatment and recovery for all service users.
The teams provide a range of services including:
- comprehensive assessment and an allocated recovery co-ordinator
- substitute prescribing
- needle exchange and harm minimisation
- advice and support
- blood bourne virus screening and Hepatitis A and B vaccination programmes
- drug screening
- sexual health advice
- psychosocial interventions (PSI)
- outreach service and satellite clinics
- service user groups
- support with social care issues and housing support
- doctor and nurse appointments and reviews
- recovery co-ordination
- complementary therapies including relaxation and auricular acupuncture.
The team
The teams include:
- substance misuse nurses
- independent nurse prescribers
- harm minimisation nurses
- doctors and consultant psychiatrists specialising in addictions
- social workers
- probation workers
- PSI workers
- drug intervention programme (DIP) workers
- support workers
- complementary therapists.
How to access the service
Referrals are accepted from individuals directly or via another agency with consent. Referrals can be made face to face by self presentation at a centre, or by telephone contact or written referral.
Referrals are accepted by the duty worker and an appointment is made for a full comprehensive assessment within one week. The full assessment appointment takes approximately one hour. From this appointment the clients’ needs are identified and an appropriate recovery co-ordinator is allocated based on these needs.
Further appointments with the key-worker will be offered and a personalised, comprehensive, care plan will be developed and agreed. Clients who require medical intervention will be offered a doctors appointment within two weeks of referral.