Developing a coordinated response to chemsex across health, justice and social care settings: expert consensus statement

Hillier, Bradley, Carthy, Eliot, Kalk, Nicola, Moncrieff, Monty, Pakianathan, Mark, Tracy, Derek, Bowden-Jones, Owen, Hickson, Ford and Forrester, Andrew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2510-1249 2024. Developing a coordinated response to chemsex across health, justice and social care settings: expert consensus statement. BJPsych Bulletin 10.1192/bjb.2024.46

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Abstract

Chemsex occurs primarily among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM), and there is evidence of a subgroup of users who carry out chemsex-related criminal offences and experience harm. Challenges with chemsex can present to various settings; there are concerns that harm is increasing, including at interfaces between health, social care and criminal justice systems. The UK response to date has lacked a coordinated approach. An expert reference group was convened to share chemsex knowledge, articulate priorities for research and pathway development, and foster collaborative working between agencies. It made three key recommendations: develop and increase training and awareness across all services; implement a coordinated research programme with the development of a common data-set and assessment tool to fully characterise population-level needs; develop a professional network to share information, provide professional support and act as a knowledge hub. There was support for a unified multi-agency strategy incorporating the priorities identified as overarching principles.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Medicine
Publisher:	Royal College of Psychiatrists
ISSN:	2056-4708
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	28 June 2024
Date of Acceptance:	1 May 2024
Last Modified:	01 Jul 2024 10:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/170155

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