Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes action against drugs

A campaign that aims to stop people bringing drugs into a mental health unit in Leeds has been launched.

Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s Action Against Drugs campaign aims to educate people about the impact that drugs can have on their mental health alongside a partnership with West Yorkshire Police to prevent drugs being brought onto the premises at the Becklin Centre, Leeds.

The campaign was launched with a ‘day of action’ at the Becklin Centre, which saw a team of officers from West Yorkshire Police neighbourhood policing team, along with members of the dog support unit, conduct a search of the 84-bed inpatient unit and its grounds. The team were looking for substances such as cannabis and novel psychoactive substances (formally known as legal highs).

Guy Brookes, the Trust’s Clinical Director, said: “This is not a problem unique to the Becklin Centre, or to the NHS, or even to Leeds. The reality is that drugs are readily available in society and a part of some people’s lives.

“Our inpatient units provide acute mental health care for the people of Leeds when they are at their most vulnerable. We need to provide a therapeutic environment which includes preventing ready access to drugs, and that’s part of what’s going on here today. But we also know that simply preventing drug use for the brief period that someone is an inpatient is not enough. We will work with service users to offer education and improve their understanding of the impact these substances can have on their lives and mental health. This kind of harm reduction work can lead to positive choices and longer term change, which will allow our service users to recover from severe mental health problems.

“The Action Against Drugs campaign aims to acknowledge this problem, to provide education to service users, to make sure our service users and our staff are protected through regular patrols, and to reassure the community that we are, together with West Yorkshire Police, are doing everything in our power to detect and deter drug dealers from our sites”.

The campaign will see information about drugs for service users and carers, regular patrols of the Becklin Centre and surrounding area, and ongoing partnership work with the neighbourhood police team to develop ways of positively addressing and managing the issue.

The number of incidents involving illegal substances at the Becklin Centre has almost doubled since 2015, with 248 incidents being reported last year.

Sergeant Jonathan McNiff, from the inner east neighbourhood police team, said: “Those involved in the supply of these types of drugs pray on some of the most vulnerable people in society, and this operation is not only about taking those people off the streets but it is about safeguarding vulnerable people.

“Our action won’t stop here, and we will continue to target those we believe to be bringing illegal substances into the Becklin Centre”.

If you would like more information about drugs or are looking for support for you or someone you know, visit Forward Leeds.