Plummer Court — Addiction Rehabilitation Centre in Newcastle, England

A joke not laugh at this place,told don't help with housing do,I live in retirement house,were warden is showing flavourtism, with some of the tenants, can't get my washing done,my turn keep getting dodged...

I was on MAT for 8+ years, after having used opiates/opioids intravenously (morphine, heroin, nitazenes, etc.) for 10 - 15 years. At first, I thought methadone would help, but over time it drained the life out of me. I was constantly sedated, emotionally flat, extremely constipated, and depressed, sleeping -20 hours/day. My hormones were completely dysregulated; my gut stopped moving. My motivation disappeared. I wasn’t living, just existing, and being on 3 laxatives long-term was did harm. What being under this care did for me: When I tried to advocate for myself, people treated me like a liability, not a human being. Any dose increase or adjustment was treated like breaking a rule; I’d be forced back to daily pick-ups. Asking for a split dose or a PAMORA to help with gut issues was dismissed as “not policy”. Honesty cost me. I saw people, including myself, resort to frozen urine samples or other methods just to pass drug tests so they wouldn’t lose privileges, their driving licenses, jobs, or in some cases their freedom. Keyworkers and staff turnover was brutal. Many had no medical training or prescriptive experience beyond high school and rarely stayed more than six months. Reduction in dose was treated as a metric, more important than how someone was actually doing. Having mental health comorbidities made things worse. Less understanding, more pressure, more coercion. Comorbidities were effectively treated as resistance. A critical issue that is not addressed A major failure clinics ignore is drug adulteration. People may be pushed to 120mg or more of methadone to “treat cravings” while still reporting effects from illicit supply. In many cases, what they are feeling is not the opioid itself, but the cuts. Sedatives like xylazine, medetomidine, dexmedetomidine, etomidate, and others can mimic part of opioid effects. Clinics rarely assess this, never treat it and instead escalate opioid doses, driving tolerance higher than necessary. This is not treating addiction, it is reinforcing it. What changed when I left I eventually exited the program. For the last few years I’ve been stable on a submilligram regimen, a novel Opioid that's not yet scheduled and so is legal, that I manage myself with precision: lab testing, consistent supply, sterile technique, strict self-monitoring, and precision measuring. Two IV shots per day. I’m not promoting this path. I recognize it’s more risky for some. But for me, it restored health, clarity, and functionality. Methadone and Buprenorphine/ Sublocade failed to do this. The broken model I’m not anti-methadone. But it should be one choice of many. Competent addiction specialists would be better to substitute with Morphine, this would come with less harm. Many programs still show high concurrent illicit opioid use even years in. Rigid attendance, pickup, and testing rules are associated with poorer retention, disengagement, and relapse. Proven alternatives There is strong evidence from European programs that heroin-assisted treatment outperforms methadone for people with severe or treatment-refractory opioid use disorder. Randomised trials and long-term cohorts show higher retention, improved physical and mental health, and reduced illicit opioid use compared to methadone. Economic analyses indicate that higher program costs are often offset by reduced crime and healthcare burden. What needs to change Treatment must be individualised. People should have a say in tapering speed, dose adjustments, route of administration, and medication. Not seeing the prescribing doctor once every 5 years like presently. Clinics need better staff training in mental health, and comorbid illness. Testing and compliance should not be used as coercion. Honesty needs to be safe. Alternatives like diamorphine should be legally available. It is entirely achievable to stabilise, to 'plateau' on short-acting opioids. Conclusion We deserve dignity, options, and individualised care and broader treatment options. This treatment model is broken and is causing confusion and tangible harm.

About phone 📱 answering sometimes be problems ( key worker ) . Declared the same to all ,, call me straight ar 😠 reception if you hawe health problems or other nuances. Not answering 😭😞 not ringing back. Because they think 🤔 just panicked patients. Other okay 👍🏻🆗, Thanks Tony, Clear special thanks girl with blue hair ( reception 😚😀) and other Wonderful Women and Mans hoos helping people. But if not NARKOMANS - ALCOHOLICS when they don't have a job 🤔🤷🏻😆 No H 1 yer 1 month. Stop alcohol problems. THANKS

first time went there 3 people started kicking off with me at the door

My worker is nice I get on well with her. She's giving me loads of help and support, I'm still in treatmentat the minute. The reception staff really need to start answering the ghe phones

This place is a complete joke, tried calling them 46 times, no answer DURING OPENING HOURS, THEY DO NOT EVEN ALLOW YOU TO LEAVE A MESSAGE, they have put me on a methadone script at a chemist that is a 2 hour walk away, they don't answer the phone, they don't reply to emails, staff are extremely rude and they are so incompetent it's unbelievable, learn to do your job if your going to work in recovery you absolute jokes. If I could give -5 stars, it still wouldn't express my feelings enough.

The service is obviously very busy so it took a while to get through but my god the man who took my call was amazing I'm so thankful and now I have hope

Staff are lovely waiting times bit of a nightmare but suppose it’s the same all owa these days Receptionists try there best to get you seen tho X

Plummer Court is where I finally got myself right. the staff there were great for the most part. Especially during titration. It's not an easy thing to go through but they certainly made me as comfortable as possible.

Wouldn't be alive now if it wasn't for the excellent staff & even better service! Unfortunately it took me a while to realise, the staff work with restricted guidelines & it was MY fault that I had strict rules & regs!! I was the one who put myself in the position I'm in, not them! Good luck anyways...