Written by Graeme Malcolm, Services Manager
Due to coronavirus, Change Grow Live had to change the way we support you, to keep you, our volunteers and staff safe. I am aware that this has been difficult for many of you, especially when faced with social isolation. Many of you value the face-to-face contact you have with our staff and other people who use the service, so this decision was not taken lightly.
We have tried to remain in contact with you in a variety of ways, including regular telephone contact and virtual groups like ‘Zoom’. Some of you may be unsure about using ‘Zoom’ because you haven’t done so before. We can train you in how to use the technology, which will also be helpful to you in other areas of your life. Most of the feedback we have had about Zoom groups is that they have helped people who felt socially isolated. Remember, you don’t have to have your camera on if you don’t want to and we can support you as you gradually get used to this new way of communicating.
Everyone is hoping that a vaccine will soon be available. Until then coronavirus remains a risk to health and this may be the case for the foreseeable future. We aim to provide you with a service that is safe, effective and where you feel cared for. This includes delivering as full a range of support as we can, to help you achieve your recovery goals. The Change Grow Live model is a behaviour change model. This means our staff and volunteers work with you to identify what it is that you are struggling with. Then, we look at how best to support you in achieving your recovery goals. We will take your needs into consideration and be flexible in our approach. We will continue to engage with you by telephone, using video technology, holding virtual meetings and through social media. Please make sure that we have your most up to date telephone number and email if you have one.
I know that some people do not have a mobile phone or access to the internet, so we will be starting to offer some face to face sessions. Decisions about who will be seen face-to-face will be made on the basis of risk and prioritising those in the greatest need. Change Grow Live will be adhering to all government guidance to ensure your safety and that of our staff. Our buildings have been risk assessed and are COVID secure. Visitors coming into our buildings are expected to wear a face mask and use hand sanitisers. Don’t worry if you don’t have these, we can provide them.
The Change Grow Live model is also based on supporting people through small workshops, known as ‘pods.’ We are doing this because all the evidence shows that it is easier for people to achieve their recovery goals when they have the support of other people who are also going through the same things. Most face-to-face appointments will be via pods and we will also be running these online. Some of the other face-to-face appointments we will be offering are urine drug screen testing, prescriber appointments and blood-tests, all of which will be individual appointments. Our model may look different, but the support is still there. Do let us know if you have any suggestions about what else we can do.