Quality standard
Quality statement 6: Keyworking – psychosocial interventions
Quality statement 6: Keyworking – psychosocial interventions
Quality statement
People in drug treatment are offered appropriate psychosocial interventions by their keyworker.
Rationale
Psychosocial interventions can improve the therapeutic relationship between the keyworker and the person with the drug use disorder. This can help to improve motivation, participation in treatment, the likelihood of recovery and prevention of relapse.
Quality measure
The following measures can be used to assess the quality of care or service provision specified in the statement. They are examples of how the statement can be measured, and can be adapted and used flexibly.
Process
Proportion of people in drug treatment who receive appropriate psychosocial interventions from their keyworker.
Numerator – the number of people in the denominator receiving appropriate psychosocial interventions from their keyworker.
Denominator – the number of people in drug treatment.
Data source: The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System collects data on all clients receiving specialist treatment for their problematic use of drugs; data on a range of psychosocial interventions are collected.
What the quality statement means for different audiences
Service providers ensure systems are in place for people in drug treatment to be offered appropriate psychosocial interventions by their keyworker.
Keyworkers offer people in drug treatment appropriate psychosocial interventions.
Commissioners ensure they commission services that offer people in drug treatment appropriate psychosocial interventions from their keyworker.
People in drug treatment are offered psychosocial support by their keyworker, which may involve 'talking therapies' to help increase motivation and prevent relapse, and creating visual 'maps' to help support their treatment.
Source guidance
Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management. Department of Health and Social Care (2017), sections 2.2.4 and 3.7
Definitions of terms used in this quality statement
Psychosocial interventions
Psychosocial interventions need to be appropriate to the service user's needs and circumstances. The Department of Health and Social Care's guideline on drug misuse and dependence lists relevant interventions which can be offered by the keyworker.
Keyworker
A keyworker is a key individual or clinician, for example a doctor, nurse, or an NHS or voluntary sector drugs worker who is in regular contact with the service user. If the person has complex needs it is important that the keyworker is a single named individual. [Department of Health and Social Care's guideline on drug misuse and dependence]