Referral to treatment
Referral to treatment is a procedure in which an employee with substance abuse problems is referred to treatment for substance abusers. The purpose of referral to treatment is to support the person’s work ability. Referral to treatment is agreed in the substance abuse programme. If the supervisor observes that an employee has a substance abuse problem, they are to conduct a confidential and goal-oriented discussion with the person and document it. The discussion goes through what kinds of changes have been observed in the employee’s work performance. The person is referred to occupational health care, where the need for treatment and the significance of the addiction on work ability are assessed, further measures are agreed in occupational health care and a referral agreement is made.
Content of the referral agreement
- Recording the duration of the referral agreement
- Preparing a written agreement in co-operation with occupational health care.
- Recording the referral practices.
- Agreeing on the follow-up with the supervisor and occupational health care.
- Recording the employee’s consent/refusal in the referral agreement.
- If NO, what will happen?
- If YES, how does the employer support the employee?
- What happens if an employee breaches the contract?
- Is the operating model the same for all substances?
- Information related to the substance abuse problem and its treatment is confidential.
Recovery and return to work
Rehabilitation from addiction is learning a new way of life, so it is a long process. Changing habits and the certain type of automatic thinking related to substance use takes time. The person recovering needs a lot of support from relatives, professionals and peers.
The treatment referral process at the workplace is currently two years long, although the agreement is one-year long in older substance abuse programmes. The agreement includes treatment negotiations to be held every few months with occupational health care and workplace representatives.
Progress is monitored in treatment negotiations, including
- whether the planned measures have been implemented, for example, how the agreed appointments have gone, how adherence to the agreed follow-up treatment has worked and how the work has progressed
- the results of laboratory tests, of which important indicators are P-BEth for persons with a history of alcohol abuse and comprehensive drug testing for persons with a history of drug abuse.
A representative of the rehabilitation clinic also often takes part in the treatment negotiations. When the customer has had a lengthy intensive rehabilitation period, a negotiation will be held at the end of the period and a joint, detailed follow-up treatment plan will be prepared. Peer support is also often considered in these situations. Peers are the best at putting themselves in the shoes of the person referred to treatment because they have gone through similar things in their own life and have put their life in order, thereby creating hope for the future.
Referral to treatment is often perceived as a negative process. What if the image were turned into a positive one? The aim of referral to treatment is to ensure the productivity and work ability of a good employer, as the employer will want to retain a competent professional. Many substance abuse customers have said that referral to treatment has been the best thing that has happened to them. It has marked the beginning of a new way of life. In supporting people, it is essential to foster confidence in that the employer is on the employee’s side and wishes for the employee’s well-being instead of punishing the employee for their substance abuse problem.