This study explores how the workforce transformation programme supports treatment and recovery workforce development as part of the former UK government's 10-year drug strategy. It focuses on (1) contextual and attitudinal factors shaping employees' perceptions and experiences within the system, and (2) whether these factors change during the programme's implementation.

Factors that influence employees' perceptions and experiences of working within the treatment and recovery sector in England

Elle Wadsworth, Maggie Bradford, Emily Hutton, Fifi Olumogba, Alessandro Grosso, Jessica Dawney, Lucy Strang, Jennifer Newbould, Joanne Neale, Nicola Kalk, et al.

ResearchPublished Apr 22, 2026

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Includes Annex A. Workforce Transformation Programme; Annex B. Implementation research logic model for the workforce transformation programme

A key component of the former UK government's 10-year drug strategy is to create a world-class treatment and recovery system through the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Workforce Transformation Programme. The programme is led by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, which is a unit within the Department of Health and Social Care, and delivered in partnership with NHS England Workforce, Training and Education. The workforce transformation programme vision is to create a sustainable workforce that is multidisciplinary and has the capability and capacity to help people to reduce harm and start and sustain recovery. This study aims to help understand how the workforce transformation programme can support the development of the treatment and recovery workforce as part of the strategy.

Key Findings

  • We found that people working in the treatment and recovery sector in England were generally very engaged and committed to their work, and that this commitment was maintained over the first three years of the drug strategy investment. This was the case even though staff also highlighted the demanding nature of roles in the sector.
  • The drug strategy funding delivered through the workforce transformation programme was well-received by the treatment and recovery workforce. Our findings suggest that the investment over the first three years of the drug strategy has already enabled organisations to sustain, increase or strengthen some contextual and attitudinal factors linked to key job resources, improving the experience of people working in the sector.
  • While the funding was well-received and supported expansion in some areas, in others it was felt that the investment only restored services that had previously been lost due to disinvestment in the sector.

Recommendations

  • Central government should work with local authorities (LAs) and treatment and recovery providers to determine a funding timeline and commissioning cycle length that would provide appropriate security for both services and staff.
  • Central government should continue its additional investment in the treatment and recovery workforce, expanding funding to make further recruitment of senior and supervisory positions feasible.
  • Central government, LAs and treatment and recovery providers should continue, and potentially expand, efforts to develop clear career pathways and career development support for core job roles within the treatment and recovery sector.
  • LAs and treatment and recovery providers should review and address pay disparities between equivalent roles in the NHS and third-sector services.
  • LAs and treatment and recovery providers should work together to establish a shared vision of their local systems of care and design a workforce that is cohesive and ensures any gaps are filled.
  • Alcohol and other/or drugs commissioners should review how services create a supportive environment for staff with the intention of creating a standardised approach.

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Wadsworth, Elle, Maggie Bradford, Emily Hutton, Fifi Olumogba, Alessandro Grosso, Jessica Dawney, Lucy Strang, Jennifer Newbould, Joanne Neale, Nicola Kalk, Jennifer Bostock, Andrew Jones, Tom Ling, Tim Millar, John Strang, Jon Sussex, and Katherine I. Morley, Factors that influence employees' perceptions and experiences of working within the treatment and recovery sector in England. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2026. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4735-3.html.
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This work was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Policy Research Programme and conducted by RAND Europe.

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