Drug Use In Wirral: Qualitative Study
The Qualitative Insight Team was asked to gather qualitative insight into people’s personal experience of drug and alcohol use in Wirral. This work provides in-depth insights into people’s experiences around the culture and harms of drug use, engagement with treatment and recovery services, stigma and resilience, health inequalities, contact with the criminal justice system, and the experiences of children and families. This information aims to ensure their voices and needs shape the design and delivery of the local offer. It also supports the delivery of Wirral's Health and Wellbeing Strategy, by ensuring that services are designed to strengthen the support for people with problem drug and alcohol use, prevent lasting impact, and address differences in health outcomes.
Insights gathered: April 2023 - August 2023
Insights gathered by
Qualitative Insight Team
Aim
The aim was to gather qualitative insight into people’s personal experience of drug and alcohol use in Wirral to support Wirral's:
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Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
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Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.
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Wirral Drugs Strategy.
People engaged with
25 people with mixed substance use dependencies.
Methods
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Three focus groups with brainstorming activities.
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Two in-depth interviews (45–75 mins each).
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One informal (semi-structured) conversation (20–30 mins).
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Four research grids (casual conversations using a small set of predetermined questions).
Key insights
The following themes were identified as key to shaping how the local support offer for drug and alcohol use is delivered in Wirral:
Theme 1: Building a positive culture to reduce drug-related harms, i.e. stigma and shame, acceptance.
Theme 2: Protecting children and young people from drug-related harms, particularly familial ties, such as experience of losses, relationship breakdown, dealing with schools, and early intervention.
Theme 3: Augmenting an excellent treatment and recovery system - life after recovery, returning to recovery, and future goals.
Theme 4: Reducing health inequalities for people who use drugs, and reducing drug-related deaths - physical and mental health interactions, seeking work, bolstering support, and prevention of suicide.
Theme 5: Working together to reduce drug-related crime and harm in Wirral - crime and drug use cycle, diversion from use, exploitation of children and young people, inconsistent approaches to sharing information, and enacting enforcement.
Quotes
"It's a progressive illness. My use became worse and worse and worse…and it was exactly the same for my criminal behaviour."
"It really came to a head after a period of illness, of chronic illness, and that I started using alcohol to cope with some of the effects of that illness […] if I was too drunk to feel any symptoms, then the symptoms were gone."
How have the insights been used/shared?
The findings were shared with Wirral Council's Senior Leadership team, Public Health Directorate Management Team, Wirral Drugs Strategy steering group, and JSNA steering group. The findings were also shared with providers and service users of local addiction services.
Online links
To read the full report of findings, visit:
https://www.wirralhealthwellbeingknowledgehub.co.uk/media/nhamhbsx/drug-use-in-wirral-qualitative-full-report-final-0723-accesibility-checked-mtjr-acchkd.pdf
Contact
qualitativeinsightteam@wirral.gov.uk