Specialist Substance Use Support: A Smarter, More Compassionate Investment

At a time when public services are under immense pressure, specialist alcohol support services like Aspinden Care Home and the newly launched ECCS Floating Support Service in Brighton & Hove are proving to be both life-changing for individuals and cost-effective for the NHS and local authorities.

These services are not just about managing substance use—they’re about restoring dignity, reducing harm, and creating sustainable pathways to stability.

The Hidden Cost of Alcohol Misuse

Alcohol misuse continues to place a significant burden on emergency services across the UK:

  • Ambulance callouts: In the North-East, alcohol is involved in 47% of assault-related and 68% of domestic violence callouts. In Scotland, up to 28% of weekend ambulance callouts are alcohol-related.
  • Hospital admissions: Nearly 980,000 alcohol-related admissions were recorded in England in 2019–2020.
  • Crime and policing: Alcohol-related crime costs society an estimated £14.58 billion annually, including policing, criminal justice, and property damage.

 

These figures highlight the urgent need for innovative, preventative approaches.

Aspinden Care Home: A Pioneering Harm Reduction Model

Aspinden Care Home offers a Managed Alcohol Programme (MAP), a structured harm reduction approach that provides controlled access to alcohol in a safe, supportive environment.

The results speak for themselves:

  • 41% reduction in emergency medical service use
  • 65% reduction in police interactions

 

By stabilising individuals through compassionate, structured care, MAPs offer an alternative to traditional abstinence-only models—one that works.

ECCS Floating Support: Empowering People in the Community

Building on the success of our London-based PCCS service, the Equinox Community Care & Support (ECCS) Floating Support Service in Brighton & Hove is already making a difference.

This flexible, community-based service supports individuals with substance use issues and dual diagnoses, helping them stay safe, stable, and independent.

Key areas of support include:

  • Early intervention and relapse prevention
  • Harm reduction and motivational support
  • Medication prompting and monitoring
  • Tenancy sustainment and housing advocacy
  • Daily living skills and financial management
  • Social inclusion and community engagement

 

By offering wraparound, person-centred care, ECCS reduces the need for crisis interventions and emergency services, while empowering individuals to live more fulfilling lives.

Rethinking Detox and Rehabilitation

Traditional detox programmes often struggle with long-term outcomes. A UK study found that abstinence rates dropped from 68.1% at 3 months to just 36.2% at 12 months post-detox.

In contrast, services like Aspinden and ECCS focus on long-term engagement, harm reduction, and community integration, offering more sustainable and realistic pathways to recovery.

A Compassionate and Cost-Effective Solution

Investing in specialist services like Aspinden and ECCS is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do.

By reducing reliance on emergency services and supporting independent living, these models allow the NHS, police, and local authorities to reallocate resources more effectively, while delivering better outcomes for individuals and communities.

Together, we can build a more compassionate, cost-effective system, one that meets people where they are and helps them move forward.