Partner Article

Breaking Free and CRI enter national partnership

Breaking Free, the pioneering digital healthcare provider with offices in central Manchester and the Innovation Birmingham Campus, has entered a long-term national partnership with leading health and social care charity Crime Reduction Initiatives (CRI).

CRI, a national charity with turnover approaching £100 million annually, works each day with over 50,000 people who are affected by alcohol, drugs, crime, homelessness, domestic abuse and antisocial behaviour. It supports them in making the positive changes necessary to lead independent and purposeful lives.

The partnership follows a successful pilot in which CRI services in the North and Midlands used Breaking Free Online in highly innovative ways to upskill practitioners, empower peer mentors to deliver structured interventions, and improve outcomes for service users.

Using Breaking Free Online means CRI will be able to offer all its service users 24/7 access to confidential treatment and recovery support via the internet every day of the year. And since the programme directly targets 36 substances – including novel psychoactive substances (legal highs), substitute medications and prescribed medications of abuse – it will strengthen CRI’s ability to engage and treat the growing number of people who are misusing these types of drugs

Glyn Davies, Service Development Director at Breaking Free, commented, “We are excited that CRI has embraced technology-enhanced recovery in such a comprehensive way. Our partnership gives CRI’s service users continuous access to evidence-based interventions, and we look forward to demonstrating its impact through our joint programme of research and evaluation.”

Michael Lawrence, New Technologies Lead at CRI, commented, “I am very excited to see CRI embracing technology-enhanced recovery, it is a comprehensive and adaptable tool that includes a range of evidence-based psychosocial interventions. On so many levels there is a clear benefit to our clients, whether it is reducing their substance use, long-term recovery or becoming more confident with using technology.”

This major new contract for Breaking Free follows a strong 24 months for the Group, which is now working with more than 60 Local Authorities and NHS Trusts across England, Scotland and Wales. Just over six months ago it also launched the world’s first online healthcare intervention in prisons, in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and NHS England.

The company, which is tapping into a growing market for digital health, aims to use its web-based treatment programme to complement existing healthcare services in the public sector and beyond.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clive Bawden .

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