Recovery Support Services in England: Using Evidence to Drive Change

Dr. Ed Day

Keynote Speaker

September 24 Day 2 – Keynote Exhibition Hall

8:45 AM Opening and Welcome

9:30 AM to 10:30 AM KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Recovery Support Services in England: Using Evidence to Drive Change

Recovery Support Services in England: Using Evidence to Drive Change

Session Description

Treatment and recovery services for people with drug or alcohol problems in England have been subject to fluctuating financial and political support over the past 25 years. A review commissioned by the UK Government in 2019 found that numbers receiving treatment were falling, whilst drug-related deaths were at their highest ever level. A decision was made to re-build the national infrastructure, with the aim of developing a recovery-oriented system of care in each of the 152 Local Authority areas. This presentation will describe the systematic process of reviewing the evidence base for recovery support services and using this information to develop guidance for service commissioners. The process highlighted a lack of parity of esteem for peer-led interventions and organisations within the system, and the need to actively support the development of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations (LEROs). This has led to the development of quality standards for LEROs, a new Peer Support Worker role in the national system, and the design of a range of research projects to understand the impact of recovery support services in England.

Learning Objectives

  • To understand the background to treatment provision for people with drug or alcohol problems in England and the reason for the decision to develop a recovery-oriented system of care
  • To describe the evidence base for discrete elements of recovery support within a wider system
  • To understand the importance of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations and the strategies used to support their development in England.

References

DAY E., PECHEY L. C., ROSCOE S., KELLY J. F. Recovery support services as part of the continuum of care for alcohol or drug use disorders, Addiction 2025: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.16751

DAY E., MANITSA I., FARLEY A., KELLY J. F. The UK National Recovery Survey: A Nationally Representative Survey of Overcoming a Drug or Alcohol Problem, BJPsych Open 2024: 10: e67. doi:10.1192/bjo.2023.654

PECHEY L., ROSCOE S., DAY E. Recovery Support Services and Lived Experience Initiatives, HM Government: Office for Health Improvement and Disparities; 2023. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recovery-support-services-and-lived-experience-initiatives

BEST D., HENNESSY E. A. The science of recovery capital: where do we go from here?, Addiction 2022: 117: 1139-1145.

DAY E. Illicit Drug Use: Clinical Features and Treatment. In: Day E., editor. Seminars in Addiction Psychiatry, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2021.

BIO

Ed Day is Consultant Addiction Psychiatrist with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Trust and a clinical academic at the University of Birmingham in the UK

His work is split between clinical research and teaching at the University of Birmingham and clinical practice in the Solihull Integrated Addiction Service (SIAS). In 2019 he was appointed to the role of UK Government National Recovery Champion for addiction and is a former President of the Society for the Study of Addiction.

https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/psychology/day-ed.aspx

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ed-Day-2

Join us for the Alberta Recovery Summit, hosted by the 9th Annual Recovery Capital Conference taking place on September 23rd, 24th, and 25th, 2025.

 Session Streams

  • Health Care and Recovery
  • Indigenous Health
  • Occupational Health and Safety

 Key Details

  • DAY ONE September 23rd – 5:30 pm 6:30: Early Badge Pick Up and Networking Reception, 6:30 pm to 8 pm Pre Conference Presentation
  • DAY TWO September 24th – 8:45 am to 5 pm : Keynote Speakers and Breakout Sessions
  • DAY THREE September 25th – 9 am to 5 pm: Keynote Speakers and Breakout Sessions

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