Phoenix News & Views

Phoenix Futures Response to the ONS 2024 Drug-related deaths figures for England and Wales

17th October 2025

The latest drug related death figures for England and Wales (2024) show a continuing increase in the number of people dying from a treatable condition.More…

Everyone Deserves Access to Residential Care

10th October 2025

Too many people living with substance use problems alongside complex mental health problems struggle to get the support they need. For World Mental Health…

Introducing Time Held Gently

2nd September 2025

It’s finally being widely recognised that women’s treatment needs and experiences are different to men’s. But we still have more challenges to overcome. Over…

Ketamine Use in the UK: Insights from Phoenix Futures’ Residential Services

19th August 2025

As ketamine use continues to rise across the UK we have surveyed our residential staff and residents to shed light on the growing prevalence, motivations,…

Harper House – a centre for learning

22nd May 2025

Since opening Harper House in November 2022 we’ve been keen to develop the service into a centre for learning about the impact of substance use on the…

Stop weaponising stigma

16th May 2025

We have seen again this weekend a shocking example of stigmatising, offensive and counterproductive media reporting  Zombie Drug Horror.I’m not encouraging…

Accelerate away from the safe ground

7th March 2025

Can true gender equality ever be achieved without considering the epidemic of violence against women and girls? For this year’s International Women’s…

Saving the last residential rehab for families in England

26th November 2024

We were recently forced to announce that despite significant investment in drug treatment in recent years none of this funding had reached residential…

5 years on and nothing has changed!

12th November 2024

In November 2019 I wrote a blog called ‘no apology for my outrage’  which announced the start of the closure process for a women’s residential treatment…

Seeds of Change

9th July 2024

Stigma is well known to people affected by drugs and alcohol. It creates barriers that marginalise and breed discrimination and prejudice. It causes exclusion,…

Specialist Residential Drug and Alcohol Treatment role in reducing health inequalities

4th July 2024

In 2021 the Government launched a new 10-year drug strategy with an initial commitment of an additional £532m for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery…

Running a marathon with a broken leg

3rd July 2024

Rose Harvey Team GB ran the Paris Olympics Marathon with a broken femur. Headlines talked of her extraordinary achievement, her resilience and her courage…

Breaking Barriers: Lessons from Ophelia House 6 months on

16th April 2024

We also want to use this space to encourage sector-wide collective action, continuing to work together to overcome the significant barriers women face…

Supporting the declaration of Oviedo

15th April 2024

The Declaration puts forward 10 proposals for incorporating effective prevention in drug policies, at a global and local level.Drug use continues to pose…

Join our Phoenix UK Board of Trustees

9th April 2024

Phoenix Futures are experts in providing Psychosocial interventions in range of settings. We are looking for a new Trustee to join the Phoenix UK…

New report shows Phoenix’s residential family service creates up to £23.5 million of social value.

26th January 2024

Phoenix’s National Specialist Family Service in England is one of only two residential treatment services in England that enable parents to benefit from…

The Impact of Gender Based Violence on Mothers

8th December 2023

We know that women, but especially mothers who use drugs continue to face stigma when reporting their experiences of violence against them. This has been…

Services designed by women for women - Taking a gender transformative approach

4th December 2023

Lucie Mauger, Senior Marketing Manager speaks to Helen Brewin, Innovations and Improvement Manager about taking a gender transformative approach to the…

Chief Executive Blog

13th November 2023

Under cover of the dramatic reshuffle the Government have announced additional funding for drug and alcohol treatment of £267m from April 2024. This is…

Phoenix supports Pompidou Group Workshop for in-prison Therapeutic Community for treating addictions in Ukraine

27th October 2023

Phoenix’s Director of Operations CJ Williams joined fellow international specialists from the Republic of Moldova, Norway and Romania to help a Ukrainian…

The Muirhead Care Home Project

21st September 2023

The service will be located in a rural setting, ideal for a facility that combines treatment for substance use and mental health needs with the therapeutic…

OUR COMMITMENT TO REAL LIVING WAGE

20th September 2023

From August 2023 Phoenix Futures officially became accredited as a Living Wage Employer. Our commitment to Living Wage will see everyone working…

Ophelia House - A place for women

5th September 2023

The differences between women and men who use substances and access treatment are widely documented. We know that women are more likely to be involved…

Remembering David Tomlinson

4th August 2023

We are deeply saddened to learn of the recent passing of a pioneer of addiction treatment in the UK, David Tomlinson. David was one of the key figures…

Knatchbull Road Open Day

5th July 2023

Last Wednesday, Lambeth housing (Knatchbull Rd) opened its doors, inviting people in to get a feel of what’s on offer at the unique abstinent supported…

Volunteers Week 2023

7th June 2023

Michelle came into treatment at Wirral residential in February 2023, and after a couple of months at Wirral Residential soon decided to make a referral…

Preventing the harms of intergenerational drug use through the delivery of whole-family interventions

31st May 2023

For over 20 years Phoenix have been delivering residential services that support parents whilst they are still looking after their children. These services…

A diverse service for a diverse Population

20th April 2023

Diversity is a commonly used term when thinking about any group of people. However, the Phoenix Futures service at HMP Pentonville is an excellent example…

Reporting the impact of our Alcohol High Intensity User (HIU) Project

16th March 2023

Our HIU Project based in Essex working across the Mid and South of the county including Southend and Thurrock supports people that have multiple support…

Reflections on conducting research in a specialist family Therapeutic Community in Scotland.

14th February 2023

My name is Connie Pike, and I am a Criminal Justice PhD Candidate at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Prior to receiving a Vice Chancellor Scholarship…

Delivering a blended approach to substance use and mental health provision at New Oakwood Lodge

7th February 2023

Tell us about New Oakwood Lodge and what needs it is seeking to address. New Oakwood Lodge provides coordinated mental health and substance use care…

The Ley Community development update

23rd January 2023

Following our merger with the Ley Community, we have opened Ophelia House at the Ley Community. Ophelia House At the Ley Community is a women’s only…

Hope and Opportunity

8th December 2022

As psychosocial provision specialists, we have a particular focus on the interrelation of social factors, and thoughts and behaviours, that could lead…

Festive Fears, Supporting people in the justice system throughout the festive period

6th December 2022

Christmas is almost upon us, and it can be an especially hard time for people in custody. With the Christmas period seemingly starting earlier and earlier…

Women’s Homelessness Statement – Autumn 2022

12th October 2022

We are working together to improve to ensure that women receive effective and appropriate community and residential drug and alcohol treatment services.We…

The Ley Community and Phoenix Futures announce partnership

5th October 2022

The service will build on the two organisations’ common history of delivering the Therapeutic Community model. Phoenix and The Ley Community are pioneers…

Changing Futures - Launch Event

9th May 2022

In 2021, Phoenix Futures’ Essex Managers and Business Development team worked with their commissioners to submit a bid to the Changing Futures fund –…

Making rehab work for people involved with the justice system

7th April 2022

The experiences of people involved with substances, crime and the justice system are complicated. Drug offences accounted for 16% of all prison sentences…

Sharing the lived experience of people who have accessed our residential services.

25th March 2022

Every person that we support has their own unique experiences, stories and insights that shared help to inspire, educate and enable better support for…

Independent enquiry evidences the merits of targeted and intensive support for vulnerable adults with learning disabilities across Essex

7th March 2022

The Vulnerable Victims model supports adults with learning disabilities and/or autism who are or are at risk of, being exploited by criminal gangs or…

Rowdy Yates

17th February 2022

Rowdy spent his life, using his whole life experience and his learning, to help others. It was a big life, too big to give it justice on a page. We will…

Making Rehab Work Blog – what does the guidance say about access to residential treatment?

9th February 2022

We recently launched a report looking at residential treatment in England, Making Rehab Matter, to highlight the severe problems people face when accessing…

Should we not be assessing the services suitability to treat women, and not the suitability of women?

3rd February 2022

My name is Florence Fowler, and I am a Quality Improvement Lead at Phoenix Futures. I have worked in the Recovery Field for around 25 years however, on…

Sharing the lived experience of people who have accessed our residential services.

14th December 2021

In light of the release of the new drug strategy and as part of our Making Rehab Work report – we are sharing the lived experiences of people who have…

Chief Exec's Blog - Response to the Government's 2021 Drug Strategy

7th December 2021

Beyond the damaging rhetoric that accompanied the launch the considerable investment in treatment and the acceptance of the Dame Carol Black recommendations…

Chief Exec Blog

24th November 2021

We have commissioned a major new report called Making Rehab Work The work was carried out by Mike Pattinson and Kevin Crowley, two experts with many…

National Specialist Family Service

22nd November 2021

Phoenix Futures specialises in providing high-quality specialist registered care home services which are regulated by the Care Inspectorate. We have provided…

Phoenix Futures sends a message to COP26 – Recovery Is Possible

2nd November 2021

Phoenix uses conservation to help people realise they have the power to make positive change in their lives. The Recovery through Nature programme, developed…

Response to today's release of England's drug-related death figures

3rd August 2021

At Phoenix we know how painful it is to lose a loved one or family member as a result of drugs… a brother, sister, son, daughter, mother, father, partner,…

Chief Exec's Blog - Why I’m backing the Right to Recovery Bill

2nd August 2021

If anyone were to disregard the underlying causes of a mental health condition they would be rightly challenged in the strongest terms. But when it comes…

Response to today's release of Scotland's drug-related death figures

30th July 2021

The statistics we have seen today are shocking and deeply saddening. At Phoenix we know how painful it is to lose a loved one or family member as a result…

Take a Fresh Look, Phoenix Futures Launches New Community Members Guides

19th July 2021

The guides showcase our newly refurbished buildings and feature our bold, bright new branding.Within you will find updated professional photography and…

Phoenix Futures response to Dame Carol Black’s Review of Drugs - Part 2

8th July 2021

This is a highly anticipated report that arrives at a critical time for the many thousands of people directly affected by substance use problems and the…

A healthy home is key to recovery

8th July 2021

Phoenix welcome the release today of the second part of Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drugs, and its call for significant, ringfenced investment…

Why we’re calling for a £20m investment in residential treatment

6th July 2021

Across England, access to intensive drug and alcohol treatment, delivered in residential care home settings, is being denied to increasing numbers of…

Introducing Ready, Steady, Recovery

1st July 2021

Kirsty Armstrong is a Therapeutic Worker in our Sheffield Residential Service; she has a Level 3 qualification in Nutrition and Dietary Planning and works…

Why gender matters in drug and alcohol treatment

17th June 2021

Here at Phoenix Futures, we believe that the strategy must take wider determinants of women’s health into account, including access to universal and specialist…

Mental Health Awareness Week – Nurture from Nature

13th May 2021

Phoenix Futures’ Recovery through Nature (RtN) programme model has three key elements that act as catalysts for self-efficacy and self-actualisation during…

Gabrielle Epstein, Head of Clinical Interventions talks to DDN about Phoenix’s revitalised mental health strategy and clinical review.

10th May 2021

Text is taken from an interview with DDN Magazine - DDN May2021 May 2021 (joomag.com)People working in substance misuse manage people with mental health…

Who pays for drug treatment in residential rehabs?

30th April 2021

It’s obvious isn’t it? In state funded rehab the state pays, don’t they? In community settings, the Local Authority pays for drug treatment as part…

The subtle stigma that erodes people’s right to health

8th April 2021

Quite rightly there is a current focus on stigmatising language. Use of language frames the way we think. Non-judgemental, people-first language is important…

Stories that save lives

27th January 2021

Something has been happening in Scotland over the last few years. A campaign, as significant and ultimately revitalising, as any social change campaign…

Today has been a good day for people who need treatment for drug and alcohol use in England and Scotland.

27th January 2021

The unhealthy politicisation of drug policy between Westminster and Holyrood seems for today at least, to be delivering a very welcome injection of cash…

‘Act-as-if you are infected and infectious’: what has the global Therapeutic Community movement learnt from COVID-19?

10th December 2020

On 25th June 2020, the European Federation of Therapeutic Communities (EFTC) hosted a virtual COVID-19 learning event for practitioners from across the…

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

3rd December 2020

Looking back over the year 2020 – a year so profoundly characterised by its unpredictability – I find it heartening to reflect on the unwavering commitment…

Delivering residential drug treatment during a pandemic: Exploring the impact, management and lessons of COVID-19

30th November 2020

The alcohol and drug treatment sector is an essential and highly valued element of our national response to the risk presented by COVID-19. Providing…

Our Environmental Sustainability Strategy

28th October 2020

As we’ve been developing our approach to environmental sustainability we’ve been asking ourselves some important questions about ourselves and our responsibilities.…

Drug related deaths statistics – A painful reminder of the need for change

14th October 2020

The release today of the 2019 Office for National Statistics figures on drug related deaths is a poignant and painful reminder of the need for the reversal…

Keeping Families Together - Inside the Phoenix Family Service

8th October 2020

Phoenix Futures provides a range of residential rehabilitation across four sites in the UK, but one of these sites is slightly different to the more traditional…

A Shameful Affair - Chief Exec Blog on the harmful effects of stigma

21st September 2020

Read Phoenix Chief Exec's latest blog on the pernicious effects of stigma A Shameful AffairTwo weeks ago the UK Government published its response…

Sustainable Recovery - Our Strategy 2020

8th September 2020

Our Chief Exec, Karen Biggs introduces Phoenix's 2020 strategy - Sustainable Recovery The work we do at Phoenix leads to change.Our services span…

Phoenix's Brand New Look

7th September 2020

Since the end of last year we have been working away behind the scenes, crafting a new visual identity, that is a better reflection of who we are at Phoenix,…

Chief Exec's Blog - Myths and Legends of Residential Rehab

17th August 2020

Phoenix Chief Exec Karen Biggs addresses the myths and legends of residential rehab and highlights the tangible truth.Myths and Legends and the Tangible…

The Coronavirus Prison Rollercoaster

29th June 2020

The Coronavirus Prison RollercoasterThe coronavirus pandemic has been a challenging time for all of us, whether we work in prisons, residential, or community…

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - Part Three

23rd June 2020

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement Phoenix’s Head of HR and L&D Woosh Raza and Director of Marketing and Innovation Jim Armstrong took some…

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update

19th June 2020

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) UpdateProtecting your Well-BeingOur services are open and will continue to support you. We also want to make sure we protect your…

The unheard Catch-22 within therapeutic communities during COVID-19

18th June 2020

It is safe to say it has been a surreal and challenging time over the past few months for us all. We already felt it was a difficult time in our sector…

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - Part Two

15th June 2020

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement Phoenix’s Head of HR and L&D Woosh Raza and Director of Marketing and Innovation Jim Armstrong took some…

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - Part One

10th June 2020

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement Phoenix’s Head of HR and L&D Woosh Raza, and Director of Marketing and Innovation Jim Armstrong, took…

A heartfelt thank you to all of our amazing volunteers

1st June 2020

To mark Volunteers Week, we spoke to some of our amazing volunteers across Phoenix and asked them about their experiences of volunteering with us. Interview…

Chief Exec Blog - 'Tsunami of Need' meeting emerging needs

23rd May 2020

Phoenix Chief Exec Karen Biggs warns of the emerging needs of people who use drugs and alchol during the coronavirus lockdown.Tsunami of NeedThe Covid…

Vicky Ball – Phoenix’s Head of Housing Blog, Homelessness: Seizing the Opportunity

12th May 2020

This a critical time for people affected by homelessness and substance use problems. We’ve spoken to Phoenix’s Head of Housing to find out more about…

Keeping the home ties strong during Covid-19

7th May 2020

Keeping the home ties strong is one important way that Phoenix Futures keeps their residents’ motivation high, says Liam WardAligned with government guidance…

Chief Exec's Blog - The Coronavirus isn't the great leveller it's labeled to be

9th April 2020

Feeling isolated….. lacking contact with others…….. fearing an invisible threat that could lead to serious illness and death……..unable to leave the house………

Providing a safe space for some of society's most vulnerable through residential rehab placements

7th April 2020

The Coronavirus outbreak has drawn attention to some of the most vulnerable groups in our society. Those most at risk include the elderly and those with…

No Apology for my Outrage

1st November 2019

In more traditional leadership theory, anger isn’t deemed to be a very effective leadership characteristic. We all had those experiences of shouty leaders…