The Level is a 20 bed inpatient detox unit just outside the center of Nottingham. We’re shining a spotlight on the service to showcase the incredible work that Framework do to help kickstart people’s recovery. Hear from Richard Sparkes, Service Manager at The Level, below.
At The Level, we help people who have issues with substance use and give them the opportunity to change their lives for the better. We are one of just a handful of detoxes that are accessible to people working with community teams and on rare occasions we also take private referrals. There are an estimated 200 beds like ours in the UK. With well over 350,000 people in substance use treatment, I am sure you can imagine how busy we are, especially as we accept referrals from all over the country.
Our treatment program is a medically managed detox from whatever substance the person is using, alongside psychosocial interventions delivered by our therapy team. We have a team of nurses and support workers on site 24/7 to work with all our patients, delivering medical care and support around the clock. There is also a dedicated team of doctors who provide general and psychiatric treatment and a team of volunteers who offer empathy and holistic care.
That’s us….on paper.
What we really do is help rebuild families, give people hope, brings sons and daughters back to their parents and parents back to their children. Substance use leads to the breakdown of communities, breakdown of families and breakdown of the individual. Our team here work magic on a daily basis. My colleagues are a mix of those with lived experience who are in recovery, and those who aren’t, but display incredible levels of empathy to all our service users. I am proud to say that I am in recovery myself and I just love helping others on their journey.
The changes we see in people from the day they walk through the door to the day they leave, is indescribable. Seeing the hope, the sense of achievement, and their belief in the idea that there is a future without the use of substances, is something that drives us to keep doing what we do, every single day of the year.
Myself, I have only been with the service as manager for a little over 8 months. Since coming onboard there have been a lot of changes at The Level. We have grown as a team in both numbers and strength. Our trauma-informed approach has led to improved outcomes for our service users more than ever before. We continue to change the lives of those people who come through our doors for the better.
If you would like to help us to maintain this work, you can donate to our projects here: Framework: Help us, help others, change their lives. We are working hard to introduce new, innovative therapies to expand our offering and enrich service user experience.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Richard
If you or someone you know is looking for support for substance use or your mental health, Framework can help. You can find more information about our health and care services here.