Service Detail

This is a specialist service, available to people from across the UK.

GPs, consultants, health professionals, referrers and commissioners can receive comprehensive information about this national service by contacting the service directly.

Overview
Our clinic provides injectable opiate treatment for people with a severe heroin addiction, where previous optimised first line drug treatment, such as oral methadone maintenance, has been shown to be insufficient.

Patients are prescribed injectable heroin (diamorphine) or methadone, which is administered at the clinic under supervision and supplementary oral medication can be provided between injecting sessions to prevent opiate withdrawal and also if it is desirable or necessary for them not attend a session. The clinic is open every day and all injectable doses are supervised, so there is no potential for abuse or transference into the community. People typically attend the clinic up to twice daily, seven days a week.

In addition to this specialised pharmacotherapy intervention, our nurses, doctors and recovery support workers work alongside existing local providers to compliment and bolster existing recovery focussed care plans that address the underlying causes of addiction, and the related health issues an individual may be experiencing.

Where appropriate skills and expertise exist we support local community teams to develop their own injectable opiate treatment services, allowing the patient to return to their local service provider at the earliest opportunity, once sufficient progress and stability of their recovery has been achieved.

For more information about SLaM's national and specialist services see: www.national.slam.nhs.uk