Derry's Northland Centre's to launch new 'Knowledge Exchange Series'

The author of the recent seminal review of drugs for the UK Government, Professor Dame Carol Black, will visit the North West early in the New Year to give the inaugural lecture in an exciting new series being launched by Northlands Addiction Treatment Centre.

Her review has led to a new 10-year drug strategy From Harm to Hope, published on 6 December 2021.  

Dame Carol, Independent Adviser to the UK Government on combatting the misuse of drugs, will deliver her lecture at Ulster University’s Magee campus on Wednesday 4th January 2023.

It will be the first event in Northlands’ new Knowledge Exchange Series, which will bring experts, professionals and people with lived experience together to learn, discuss and debate approaches to addiction and treatment.

Dame Carol, who is a past-President of the Royal College of Physicians, has completed four independent reviews for the UK government, including one which examined the implications of addiction for employment and one on illicit drugs, demand, supply and treatment.

Northlands’ Head of Treatment, Tommy Canning, said the organisation was honoured that she had agreed to launch its Knowledge Exchange Series and to visit its treatment centre early in the new year.    

“Professor Dame Carol Black is not only a leading expert in the medical field,” Mr Canning said, “her recent role as an independent advisor to the UK Government has provided a real challenge to policy makers in tackling addiction. 

“We, at Northlands, agree with Dame Carol that ‘the government faces an unavoidable choice: invest in tackling the problem or keep paying for the consequences.’ Dame Carol’s work highlights the critical importance of residential treatment and we are honoured that she has agreed to visit our centre to learn about our plans for a new, purpose built, state-of-the-art, addiction treatment centre here in the North West.

“We are committed to bringing the best practice and ideas here to Northern Ireland. Northlands is always learning, growing and evolving, so that we can build not just a new centre but a true centre of excellence, a ‘beacon of hope’, giving those living with addiction access to the best treatment and support.”

Professor Dame Carol Black said: “Tackling drug dependency is a complex challenging problem, and its solution spans many government departments, local government and institutions that need to work together.

"It requires a whole-system approach. Achieving improvements in treatment requires more professionally-qualified staff, trained support workers, high-quality recovery programmes, and more inpatient detoxification and residential rehabilitation.”