Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for a re-think by health chiefs after they announced the only detox centre on the NHS in Bristol is to close.
The Acer Unit at Southmead Hospital is a small unit within the grounds of Southmead Hospital that provides inpatient care and treatment for up to ten adults who have difficulty controlling their drug or alcohol use in the community.
The man behind the campaign said there was still a chance for the decision to be reversed and funding to be found, but the centre was a ‘vital cog in the wheel of recovery’ from addiction.
“It is the only detox available on the NHS in Bristol,” said Steven Rice, who set up a petition on Change.org. “It has a small capacity and much loved and dedicated staff. It provides a detox and forward planning for people with drug and alcohol problems.
“There are no current plans to open a replacement unit at this time. It has never been a popular movement helping drug addicts and alcoholics, unless you are a family member or know and love someone who is suffering. It is a vital cog in the wheel of recovery from addiction, often the first one – help to try and save it,” he added.
The ward is run by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) but has been funded by Bristol City Council. In 2021, amid NHS cuts, the previous Labour administration at City Hall decided to keep funding the Acer Unit, citing the huge rise in admissions to A&E of people with drug and alcohol problems, and the ongoing costs of that, and of dealing with housing problems too.
In 2021, the council decided to fund the service itself, and get Government support too, and awarded a four-year, £2.8 million contract to AWP to run the ward, formally known as the Acer Substance Misuse Recovery Inpatient ward, at Southmead Hospital, but that contract runs out on March 31 this year and it appears the contract is not going to be renewed.
Back in 2021, a council report to Cllr Asher Craig highlighted the importance of the Acer unit. “This includes some of our most vulnerable people including pregnant women, those with physical and mental health comorbidities, people who are homeless and those who have recently left custody,” the report’s author said. “Many of these people live in circumstances that make successful community detoxification highly unlikely.
“We have a large drug and alcohol using population in Bristol compared to other areas and this supports the need to have a detox and stabilisation unit within the city,” she added. “It is impractical to send people further afield for treatment as travelling to an unknown area can increase their vulnerability quite significantly. This is a specialised service that provides medically directed care in a hospital inpatient setting,” she said.
On Monday, January 20, the number of people who have signed Mr Rice’s petition on Change.org went past the 3,000 mark. Bristol Live has contacted Bristol City Council and Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, and their responses are awaited.