Substance misuse services for patients with complex needs
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Substance misuse services for patients with complex needs

Jeff Fernandez Nurse consultant, Primary care alcohol and drugs service (Islington), Whittington Health NHS Trust, London
Mark Medjesi-Jones Deputy manager, Primary care alcohol and drugs service (Islington), Whittington Health NHS Trust, London

Jeff Fernandez and Mark Medjesi-Jones suggest that primary care can address the problems of patients with drug or alcohol dependence

In the past decade, primary care services have expanded in the clinical area of substance misuse. With tiered systems of drug treatment delivery, patients with complex needs are usually treated by specialist services, with primary care seeing the less complex patients. This article argues that this approach needs to be re-visited and updated, as primary care can accommodate many patients who are classed as complex. The article illustrates this by examining patients in primary care who are on high doses of methadone and argues that primary care could be expanded further to address the needs of these patients.

Primary Health Care. 23, 8, 29-32. doi: 10.7748/phc2013.10.23.8.29.e767

Correspondence

jfernandez@nhs.net

Conflict of interest

None declared

Peer review

This article has been subject to double blind peer review

Received: 14 March 2013

Accepted: 03 June 2013

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