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Why people drop out or have their treatment withdrawn and what we can do to prevent it
John Dunn, Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Team Leader, National Treatment Agency
Abstract
By the end of March 2008, 78 per cent of individuals entering the treatment system either successfully completed treatment or were retained in treatment. There has been a downward trend in unplanned discharges from 71 per cent of individuals leaving drug treatment in 2004/05, to 48 per cent in 2007/08. So although increasing numbers of clients are being successfully retained this does not always translate into successful completion of drug treatment. Unplanned discharges occur for a range of reasons, the commonest being dropping out of treatment, going to prison, treatment being withdrawn, the client declining the treatment offered or moving away and losing contact with the treatment service.
There is considerable variation between partnerships in the rate of unplanned discharges and data analysis and research suggest that service factors have a much bigger impact than client characteristics. In this talk I aim to provide information and good practice guidance on how to reduce unplanned discharges by enhancing strategies to improve engagement and retention, to deliver more effective interventions to clients who are failing to benefit from treatment and to reduce the risk of clients dropping out or having their treatment withdrawn.
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Biography
Dr John Dunn, B.Med. Sci., B.M., B.S., M.R.C.Psych, D.M.
I qualified in Medicine at the University of Nottingham in 1982 and did my psychiatric training at St Thomas' and the Maudsley Hospitals, London. I then worked as visiting researcher and doctoral student at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil from 1993 to 1999, helping to set up a drug and alcohol service. I completed a Doctorate looking at longitudinal patterns of cocaine use and HIV risk behaviours among Brazilian cocaine and crack users. I returned to the UK in 1999 to take up a position as Senior Lecturer in substance misuse psychiatry at the Royal Free & University College Medical School.
Since 2001 I have been working as Lead Consultant in Substance Misuse Psychiatry at Camden & Islington Foundation Trust - and am the consultant for the North Camden Drug Service (a.k.a Response). I became the Clinical Team Leader at the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse in August 2007.
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