East Ayrshire hub aims to create ‘recovery culture’
Plans for a dedicated East Ayrshire Recovery Hub are gathering pace, says newly appointed service manager, Steph McCutcheon.
The hub will offer confidential support and advice for anyone struggling with substance use, and will be a collaboration of partner agencies within Kilmarnock and outlying areas.
“We are seeking to secure premises in the town centre of Kilmarnock, with direct links and pathways to local recovery resources. Support has been assured by many partner agencies such as NHS Ayrshire & Arran, East Ayrshire Alcohol and Drugs Partnership, We Are With You, Open Doors, Patchwork and Recovery Enterprises. I have also made links with organisations not directly linked to recovery but who offer vital services that people with substance problems find difficult to engage with, such as Housing and Financial Inclusion.”
Bringing recovery to rural East Ayrshire
The Hub also aims to encourage community groups in East Ayrshire’s more rural areas to raise awareness of substance use recovery and make it a more important part of their daily agenda. Steph hopes that increased discussion will help tackle societal stigma and encourage anyone struggling with a substance problem to give back to their community through volunteering. This will benefit both the community and the individual themselves, helping to improve their employability and give them a greater chance of maintaining recovery:
“I’ve been creating links with Auchinleck CDI and The Zone in Dalmellington and will be looking to Stewarton and Irvine Valley in the coming months to establish recovery support.
In the next few weeks we will see engagement workers in Auchinleck, Dalmellington and North and South Kilmarnock encouraging people seeking recovery to link in with services that can assist them on their journey. It is hoped that this will create a recovery culture and bring supportive recovery activities to more remote areas.
These existing community groups already have the skills and resources required to achieve great things, which they do on a daily basis. Trying to establish groups solely for recovery when all these resources are available would be a waste of time when essentially, we are all trying to achieve the same goal of happy, safe and flourishing communities.”
Hope for change
The Recovery Hub has already received strong support from many agencies and partners within East Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership, and Steph is confident it will make a real and lasting difference to the lives of many:
“The support has been very encouraging. We can make meaningful changes in the way we are tackling addiction and recovery, which will hopefully reduce the amount of fatalities and harm caused by substance use.”