Solihull Integrated Addiction Services (SIAS) has had a special visit from a group of students from a university in the United States.

The SIAS team – working as part of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – welcomed 11 students from the University of Denver in Colorado who wanted to learn more about successful NHS practices when supporting people struggling with addiction.

The students were given a guided tour of the facility located in Marston Green by SIAS’ Quality Lead, Simon Glover and Consultant Psychiatrist and UK Government’s drug Recovery Champion, Dr Ed Day.

SIAS’ vision is to ensure that people in Solihull who need support with drug, alcohol or gambling addiction have easy access to appropriate treatment and recovery services, to reduce the health, social and economic harms that addictions can cause.

As part of their university modules, the students had the opportunity to understand how the UK’s healthcare system and practices differ to the US. The group heard first-hand accounts of how transformative the service has been to the lives of those in recovery and their family members.

Most notably, students were able to learn more about our Reset Programme, a trauma-informed approach to how we treat those suffering with addiction. This kind of care acknowledges the need to understand a person’s life experiences in order to deliver effective medical care. Somewhat rare in the world of addiction support, SIAS is at the very forefront of this breakthrough – being one of a handful of addiction services in the UK to offer this type of support.

SIAS’s Quality Lead, Simon Glover, who has worked for the service for over 20 years, said:

The day proved to be a huge success and it was an absolute privilege to be able to share with our international peers the kind of work we do here at SIAS. Shared learning is key to supporting people with addiction. Addiction doesn’t discriminate, it happens all over the globe in many different forms, for many different reasons. I look forward to seeing the students progress with their studies and I hope their visit to the UK and to SIAS here at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust has inspired them.

SIAS currently supports around 1,000 Solihull residents every year. If you or a loved one live in Solihull and need support, please visit www.sias-solihull.org.uk. Birmingham residents can contact www.changegrowlive.org.