Supervised consumption

Key documents

Supervised Consumption Service Specification 2024/25

Why is it important?

Supervised consumption services play a crucial role in providing care for individuals who use substances. By supporting people throughout their treatment journey, these services contribute significantly to improving health outcomes. The following key points highlight their importance:

Life-Saving Support: Supervised consumption services are instrumental in preventing accidental deaths due to overdose. By providing a safe and controlled environment for substance use, they reduce the risk of fatal incidents.

Client Support: Healthcare providers actively engage with individuals during their treatment. Their guidance and monitoring help clients adhere to treatment plans, leading to better health outcomes.

Community Hubs: Pharmacies, act as accessible community hubs, and are well-positioned to deliver high-impact services, including supervised consumption, within local communities.

At the end of April 2024 there were 482 people on supervised consumption across the county of Dorset.

What training is needed?

The information below is a summary of the main training requirements to deliver this service. See the service specification for more detailed information.

Before beginning to deliver the services, the provider should make sure staff are able to answer the questions listed in Appendix 1 of the specifications.

Staff should complete the 4 e-learning modules on “Substance use and misuse” to demonstrate competence according to the Appendix 1 framework.

How to submit a claim

providers using PharmOutcomes should use the relevant supervised consumption templates within these systems as outlined in the service specification.
providers using PharmOutcomes can watch this short video which provides instructions on how to complete templates for supervised consumption.