We’re excited to share the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance’s (APA) new strategy for 2024-2026, setting out our shared mission, values, and priorities for the next two years. This strategy represents the hard work and input of our members gathered through surveys, roadshows, and working group discussions, making it truly reflective of our collective ambitions.
It also marks the start of new ways to enhance what we offer to our members, drive forward our campaigns, and strengthen our role in influencing policy at both national and local levels.
At the core of this strategy is our commitment to tackling stigma wherever it exists, especially in NHS settings. Our Stigma Kills campaign will continue to be central to this effort, shifting its focus to engage a wider range of healthcare professionals. We're determined to ensure that addiction is recognised as a health condition and addressed with the same care and respect as physical and mental health challenges.
What’s Coming in 2024-2026
Strengthening our Connections
The APA policy working groups are the lifeblood of our Alliance and the primary vehicles through which our members connect with each other, share challenges, find solutions, and contribute to the APA’s strategic aims around policy and campaigns. Over the next two years, our focus will be on building even stronger connections across the NHS, and ensuring our members have the tools, networks, and support they need.
Pushing for Change
The APA provides a central space for our members to come together to push for change across the addictions treatment field. We are committed to acting as a critical friend around key areas of national policy in the addictions field, including but not limited to the Drugs Strategy, the Drug and Alcohol Workforce Programme, and the introduction of the Gambling Levy and a new treatment and support system around gambling harms. By working closely with key stakeholders, including government departments, we’ll push for long-term, sustainable investment in the treatment and recovery sector.
Raising our Voice
We will lead ambitious campaigns for long-term change around stigma towards people who experience addiction. These will build on the success of the Stigma Kills campaign, refining its messages and deploying them with greater effectiveness in a variety of NHS settings aimed at a wider healthcare audience.
Building Our Alliance
We’re committed to growing and strengthening our membership, creating new opportunities for engagement, and refining our governance to ensure transparency and sustainability. In 2025-26, we’ll be launching an associate membership, enabling a broader range of individuals and organisations to engage with the APA’s work.
Looking Ahead
We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far, but there’s more work to be done. We’ll continue to push for change, challenge stigma, and work alongside our members, people with lived experience, and wider stakeholders to make addiction treatment and recovery a priority across the NHS.
You can download the full strategy here, where we’ve outlined in greater detail how we’ll deliver on these ambitions.
Let’s continue to drive forward together.