On Friday, BDP CEO Maggie Telfer attended the first in a series of masterclasses run by Design Council to help tackle public health challenges including the rate of MRSA among people injecting drugs in Bristol.
I left feeling excited about what the programme will offer and how this way of working could be applied to a much larger range of ‘wicked problems’.
Design Council is independent charity that has been working in partnership with the Local Government Association with a shared vision to grow the public sector’s capacity to deliver efficient and effective public services, which improve people’s lives.
As a key healthcare provider in the South West, BDP was invited to take part in their Design in the Public Sector programme, a series of masterclasses and workshops aiming to help local governments and partner organisations use design processes and methods to tackle public health challenges with a focus on prevention.
It was a really engaging and thought provoking introduction to the programme and first opportunity to meet the six other Local Authority teams from the South Region involved. We worked on issues from air quality, to commissioning Voluntary and Community Sector services and of course Bristol’s challenge to reduce the incidence of MRSA bloodstream infections in people who inject drugs
Ask Your Pharmacist Week is an annual awareness event organised by the National Pharmacy Association, to provide a platform for pharmacy activities and services across the UK. This year’s theme, ‘Discover Your Local Pharmacy’, is the perfect time for us to catch-up with members of our team who work in local pharmacies…
Our pharmacy outreach sees BDP’s Assertive Engagement team working one day a week in Southmead and Fishponds pharmacies, offering people direct care and services – including Needle Exchange, Blood Borne Virus testing, and the training and supply of Naloxone (to reverse the effects of opioid overdose).
“Having our pharmacy walk-ins at Lloyds in Southmead and Well Pharmacy in Fishponds has meant we have been able to reach service users who find it difficult to get to our Central Walk-In centre,” says BDP Engagement Manager, Emma Wells. “Pharmacies are great resources for local communities and now drug and alcohol support is part of these vital service.”
Being located in a local pharmacy means we get to share our knowledge and trends on specific drugs with the pharmacy staff. They then play a great part in promoting any of our new activities or services.
– Carmine, BDP pharmacy worker.
The partnership with Bristol-based pharmacies was launched almost a year ago as part of an ongoing project to allow BDP to have a bigger presence within established pharmacies. By working within communities on the outskirt of central Bristol, we have been building a stronger understanding of the needs of local communities.
When working in a pharmacy, I’ve been able to engage with people who didn’t know about the group support BDP offer and signpost them to our information sessions where they’ve then been offered a place in our Preparation for Recovery group.
On Saturday 24th November, families and friends from across Bristol and the South West will come together for a unique memorial, to remember and celebrate the lives of their loved ones they have lost as the result of alcohol and other drugs.
‘A Celebration of Life’ is organised by Bereavement Through Addiction (BTA) a support network launched by two parents, Joan and Paul, who lost a child as the result of addiction in 2008.
If someone dies from cancer or an accident, whole families and friends are offered counselling and support. We had nothing and felt ostracised in our community. Some people suggested ‘aren’t you relieved it is all over.’ In fact we would gladly have the chaos and pain back, to have him alive and still have hope of his recovery.
Now in it’s 8th year, the event is being held at Bristol’s oldest building, St James Priory, and is run in partnership with Bristol Drugs Project and a range of dedicated individuals.
Led by friends, family members and Reverend Richard Pendlebury, A Celebration of Life will be open to people of all faiths and none, featuring a range of readings, personal stories and performances by the Gasworks Singers and Rising VoicesBristol’s Recovery Choir.
Take part
People are invited to have their loved-ones photograph included in the event’s memorial presentation, as well as contribute a short personal story, read a poem or perform a song for the event. For more event details or to contribute to the event please click below or email bereavement@bdp.org.uk.
BTA’s monthly support group is here to help people make sense of their own personal grief in a supportive, confidential and safe environment. Led by BDP, who bring their knowledge of the lifestyles and behaviours associated with alcohol and other drugs, the group allows you to feel and express difficult feelings, helping you to make sense of what has gone before and start to come to terms with your loss. For more information, dates and contract details please download the flyer below.
BTA continues to provide specialist support to professionals working with those who are bereaved. Working alongside the University of Bath, BTA helped produce professional guidelines that aim to improve the support offered to people who have become bereaved after a drug or alcohol-related death.
Last week we attended One25’s annual celebration Together We Can, to help them celebrate the individuals and organisations who support them to enable women to break free from street sex-work and build new lives.
It was a time to celebrate all the work done by so many different people and in so many different ways. Supporters, fundraisers, donors, volunteers, staff and partner agencies in Bristol and beyond all came together, inspired by love for some of Bristol’s most vulnerable women, inspired by their resilience and strength.
– One25
At BDP our Engagement Team work alongside One25 in their outreach van, providing women with the chance to access free healthcare support and resources in a safe space.
To support their annual celebration, our Engagement Worker Jasmine took part in a short promotional interview about her time working alongside One25.
Myself and our Team Leader Jane Neale attended One25’s annual celebration at The Station in central Bristol. This year the theme was ‘Together we Can’ which highlighted and championed the importance of partnership work, in terms of supporting the most vulnerable people we work with, effectively.
As I work on the One25 van every Thursday and attend the sexual violence forum monthly, I was asked to take part along with a couple of other partnership workers, in some filming for the event.
I’m very proud to be carrying on the amazing partnership work with One25 that was set up before me, and endeavour to keep the relationship strong for our joint clients now and in the future.
– Jasmine, BDP’s Engagement Team
Trainee Q&A
BDP’s Engagement Team provide free and confidential advice, information and support to adults using alcohol or drug problematically throughout Bristol, working within our Health and Harm Reduction Centre,Needle Exchanges and through outreach with partner organisation.
We catch up with two of our trainees who are just about to complete their first five month placement in our Engagement Team, before beginning their next placement in the Treatment Team.
What were your motivations for applying for the Traineeship?
I was a former client at BDP, it played a massive part in my recovery, so I knew a lot of staff from engaging here. I also knew a lot of people who had done the traineeship, who really enjoyed it and had gone on to get a career out of it. We were both volunteering as Peers at DHI so this was the kind of work I was interested in doing, it seemed like a logical progression. When I applied I didn’t expect to get an interview. This is the first job where I’d needed an interview in my entire life.
Because I’ve also used BDP services in the past, for me this is a thing of giving back. That has always been my motive from the start.
How were you introduced into the Traineeship?
We’ve been with the Engagement service since the beginning of June. Our traineeship started in April, and for the first two months we were shadowing people offering one-to-one support and needle exchanges in the Health & Harm Reduction Centre and doing training two days a week.
They gradually weaned us into the services, so if someone came in for support, instead of shadowing the staff, the tables would be turned and they’d shadow us to see how we got on.
How did you feel when you first started your placement in the Engagement Team?
When I first started, I thought I ain’t going to cope, I ain’t going catch up with all of this. That doubt was there. I was scared first to open my mouth, I thought I’d just potter on and do the work. I thought if I started asking questions they’d think ain’t good at doing the job, but the environment at BDP means they appreciate it more if we ask questions because that means you’re learning, you’re taking things on board. There’s no harm in asking.
That was drummed into us at the beginning. People would get worried if we don’t ask questions. When I came into it I thought I’d be useless. The people in our team are so vastly experienced, they’re so good at what they do, I was thinking I could never even measure up to any of this. But now if I’ve got issues about anything I talk it out with the guys on the team. They’ve just been really supportive and it’s helped to bring up my confidence that I can do this.
What would you say are the key skills you offer in the Engagement Team?
We’re here to listen to you, here to offer you help and signpost you to support at different organisations. Sometimes people are in a really bad place and we need to find out what support they need at that precise time.
You might have a one-to-one with someone and you can sit there with them for half an hour and when they leave you can see they feel a bit easier in themselves, that you’ve planted some seeds of change somewhere. To know you’re helping them in small ways to prevent harm or find support, that’s really nice, I like that a lot.
They come out of there, they shake you by the hand and say they’ve really appreciated you listening to them. That’s a massive highlight knowing that a person has felt listened to and that they know they can come back through our door and there is hope. That’s bang on in my eyes. I’ve done it, I’ve done my job.
Has it been useful doing the placement at the same time as each other?
We’ve been concentrated on different parts of the Engagement service, but we always have a chat and if there’s stuff that I don’t know I’’ll ask him and vice versa. Its been another level of support.
Yeah, we’ve got the Engagement team who always help each other out, but it has been beneficial for me having someone else go through this with me since the beginning.
How are you feeling now leaving the Engagement Team and starting your next placement in the Treatment Team?
I’m going to miss the team most of all. The whole team has been brilliant. I can’t think of anyone that hasn’t helped me in some way. But I’m looking forward to the change. At the minute I have no idea what it’s going to be like, so there’s some fear of the unknown, some apprehension. But I’m looking forward to the new challenges definitely, without a doubt.
We’ll also miss our service users, that bond we’ve created. The people we see every day, seeing where they’re at. Its been a massive learning in the past six months, I’ve learnt a hell of a lot about BDP, not blowing their trumpet but it has been good so far. I’m looking forward to the next experience, another page in the book.
Staff and service users help clean up the neighbourhood.
Part of the Bristol Clean Streets campaign, the Big Autumn Litter Blitz is an initiative by Bristol Waste, taking place from 16th – 29th October, helping to raise awareness about litter problems within local communities and encourage people to use waste and recycling bins.
Built on the success of this year’s Great British Spring Clean, the Litter Blitz sees families, friends and neighbours getting together to make a difference in their local community by doing a litter pick to help spruce up their neighbourhood.
Armed with litter-pickers, waste bags and high visibility jackets, we invited our staff, service users and friends to join us for our litter pick – cleaning up Brunswick Square, Brunswick Cemetery Gardens, Surrey Street, Pembroke Street and Portland Square.
We then met back up in Brunswick Square where we were hosting our Litter Letter sculpture – a big wire-framed bin in the shape of ‘B’ for Bristol (and BDP). Made by the Litterati, a Bristol-based social art collective who tackle environmental and social issues creatively, the sculpture formed part of the LuvBRISTOL campaign at this year’s Bristol Harbour Festival.
We would like to say a big thank you to our staff, service users and local friends who spent their time litter-picking and sorting through the collected waste and recycling.
Our neighbourhood is looking much cleaner thanks to everyone’s hard work!
