Managing Substance Misuse In The Workplace

1
Managing Substance Misuse In The Workplace

• Kelly Burke
• Primary Care Drug Liaison Worker
• Bury Substance Misuse Service
• 4 Tenterden Street, Bury
• 0161 253 6488

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Introduction

• Treatment perspective
• Harm Reduction approach
• Increase health and reduce use
• Substitute prescribing
• Preparing for and supporting change
• Referral to other agencies
• Working while in treatment

3
Patterns of Drug Use

• Recreational / Leisure use
• Alcohol
• Cannabis
• Cocaine
• Ecstacy/Amphetamine
• Dependent use
• Heroin
• Crack
• Alcohol

4
Symptoms and Signs

• These may include
• Increase short term sickness
• Deterioration in relationships with others
• Increased irritability/aggression
• Increase in levels of accidents
• Low productivity
• NB some or all of these could be also the result
  of mental health problems, stress or relationship
  breakdown.

5
Effect of Substance Misuse at Work

• Personal Health
• Productivity
• Health and Safety

6
Some Figures

• 40 of of the workforce U40yrs have experimented
  with illicit drugs. Drug Scope 1998
• Alcohol is involved in up to 25 of industrial
  accidents in UK . HSE 1981
• Estimated cost of Alcohol and Drug use to UK
  economy 20 billion

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Recruitment

• Pre-employment Questionnaire
• Information re policy to job candidates
• What do we do with the information?

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Risk

• Identify overall risk among workforce
• Minimise -Occupational Health
• - Positive health promotion
• -Info / training to workforce
• Substance misuse policy applied at ALL levels of
  company/organisation

9
Retention

• Early Identification/help seeking encouraged
• Access to help and advice in work time
• Confidentiality or open information sharing.
• Choice of treatment agencies/work
  funding/insurance
• Return to work

10
Drug Testing

• What to do with results?
• Reliability of results
• Cost vs Benefits

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What Changes Need to Be Made?

• HSE/Home Office guides
• Share Experience/Expertise
• Training in the Workplace
• Modifying recruitment and retention policies
• Work with staff not against them