Outrage in Cambridge!

[simon]

OK Lad, get your coat  . Seriously, I checked out  'detox5'  and as he seems to be who he claims to be. I felt it would be unfair to bar him and am keeping a close eye on things
I reckon I won't be in a position to do this for much longer as I sadly don't work for the Alliance any more.

Best to All
B

Beryl,
Sorry to hear that, are you able to say what's happened? My e mail is on my profile if that's easier.
Best wishes and it's always been a pleasure
Much love
Simon

[OP8S]

Ok. My mistake, apologies if anybody has been offended. Can I take my hat & scarf with me ? 
Sorry to hear that a you're leaving, the people that work on behalf of the Alliance have my upmost respect. Good luck in any future endevours Beryl. 

[derek d j]

What's this? The Alliance will be seriously diminished by your departure. Beryl, I hope it's not permanent, your people need you more than ever. Take good care, where'er you roam.

[bp]

Sadly Derek, it's not just me, two of my colleagues have also been made redundant.  Suffice to say I can't elaborate but I have been lead to believe  that the organisation will continue, though in what format I'm not quite sure
 
OP8S what are you apologising for? You most certainly haven't offended me and I doubt if you've offended any of the other members; you'd have been hanged, drawn and quarted by now if you had

Simon, thanks for you kind words

B

[OP8S]

Hung, drawn & quartered  , I think a few lashes of the cat o' nine tails would have been sufficent.  I can't wait till another member joins the ranks, it sends shivers down my spine everytime I think of a 5 day detox, that's all. I wouldn't want to put anybody off posting on the forum. Especially if the member is from a treatment provider. A section of the forum that has newly set up but hasn't really taken off yet. I'm sure that we are all eager to hear the opinions of those on the other side of the fence as it were.
Sorry to hear that you will no longer be with us because of redundancie's, things are tight all over I know but it's quite worrying to know that the Alliance is being downsized. I'm sure all members agree that it provides users a platform to air their views & for me is quite theraputic. There's been a lot of times when I might of spent my time un-wisely if I hadn't had my pc to spend time communicating with others & getting valuable advice from an impartial forum that believes MAR is just as valid as abstinence.
I hope this isn't the start of the demise of the Alliance. That would be a very sad day indeed.
Best wishes.

[froude]

Beryl,you have been there through my mad and bad times,thankyou and goodluck in whatever you do,sorry to see you go ,All the very best Beryl,Froude

[sapphire]

Beryl, oh no, no longer eillI be able to hear your lovely Irish accent whenI ring in to moan!!

I'm so sorry about the redundancy, it's a shit thing to happen to anyone at anytime.

Does this mean the Alliance has less funding, and as such we MMT'ers are being marginalised even further?

Come on Ken, tell us what's going on, these are worrying times. 

[derek d j]

Indeed, Saphhire, it would seem there are questions to be answered.

What caused the funding to be lost and required these redundancies?

Will the helpline and the advocacy service continue in their present, excellent form?

What is envisaged for the future of The Alliance?

[sapphire]

Indeed, Saphhire, it would seem there are questions to be answered.

What caused the funding to be lost and required these redundancies?

Will the helpline and the advocacy service continue in their present, excellent form?

What is envisaged for the future of The Alliance?

Indeed, indeed, old chap. Is anyone going to bother to tell us what's going on?!

[Anon33]

Well it has all gone to shit.....so what is going on Ken

[sapphire]

Come on Ken, give us the skinny. We only have one association that advocates for us as maintenance patients, and if that's going down the swany, well.......

[froude]

Can anyone shed any light on this commotion going on in the Alliance,the Alliance is much needed.What is happening????Froude

[Ken Stringer]

My apologies for it taking a while to respond.  At first it was difficult to announce anything as redundancies were involved and people have a right to confidentiality, as B has told you about her situation it then becomes easier to do.

For some time now The Alliance has not received any core funding from the government or anywhere else, we have workers funded for specific projects in the North of England but apart from some money I have brought in we have had nothing to keep central office running.  An advocacy contract was not renewed and funding bids submitted the year before I came in failed.  As a result the organisation could not continue to fund some posts or the office itself.

The Alliance is however continuing, there have been lags on helpline and forum but normal service will be be resumed immanently.  We are having to re-jig how we work but not what we do or what we stand for!  We have a financial plan in place that will see us through another year although we are are reliant on goodwill and people committing their time for no payment at the moment.  Fresh bids were submitted to government earlier this year and we should know the results in March, we can then take stock and decide how we play things from there.  Other irons are in the fire but I cannot comment on them at the moment. I will answer any questions that I can but it may be the case that some i cannot address in a public forum.

This has been a very difficult time for everybody here and especially for those that have lost their income and their work, in the end the decisions taken were in the interests of keeping the organisation alive and making sure that service users had a voice.  It is not just us that have suffered in this way, cuts are taking a big toll across voluntary and statutory sectors and the situation looks set to get worse for many.  It is however our intention to fight on.  I will let yu know more as I am able to do so, in the meantime keep a look out for the next edition of DDN and I will see any of you that are going at conference

best wishes

Ken

[OP8S]

Redundancies, reductions, re-structuring of our NHS, it all sounds very depressing indeed. The only positive word that comes to mind on that begins with the letter R is the Respect for the Alliance workers who do so voluntarily.
With Cameron & the shower of shit that parade as puppets for the people that really pull the strings in Government at present I myself don't feel too optimistic that any future funding will be granted.

I've just lost a friend in the past week who had been encouraged to reduce off his script. I hadn't seen him for a while so can't be sure what the toxicology report will find. Maybe I'm jumping to the wrong conclusion, it was substance related though. Whether it was gear, alcohol or anything else ? I'm pretty sure that he would still be with us if he was scripted.
Apart from the handfull of regular posters that post on the Alliance forum & know their rights in the world of drug treatment, I find very few others who are in treatment that do. In the last year I've told numerous people moaning about the pressure they are being put under about the Alliance, most sadly give in to the pressure applied by keys & end up back on the streets.
 Without maintenance, or reduction being in the users control with appropriate aftercare then we'll soon see addicts dropping like flies all around the UK. If this hasn't started to happen already.

What a great way to get rid of opiate addicts, what a great way to cut down on the amount of benefits to those that are not in work. A very depressing scenario indeed. I'm sure the Alliance could get by with some of the bonuses paid to the (w)bankers that got this country in the financial mess it's in, but as usual cuts are made that effect the people who can least afford it & the forum isn't exactly one where people can afford to make any real financial contribution to help fund it.

I fear that Outrage in Cambridge is going to end up as Outrage in the UK, we should all prepare for a very tough year ahead. If MAR is what you wan't take the Orange Guidlines to every DSP appointment you attend, make a noise, write letters expressing our views to every MP, MEP, heads of all DSPs, anybody you can think of. It's time to mobilise the troops good people !

Thank you Ken for giving us the lowdown, depressing as it may be.

[froude]

Sorry to hear of all the negative's going on at the Alliance,same as OP,enough respect for the lads and lasses who are doing the voluntary bit,im well aware of the situation in this country with everyone thinking and hoping their jobs are safe.Lets hope there is good luck in March for the Alliance,All the best Froude