Specialist rehab centre to treat medical practitioners

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by Change | 27 Jan 2009

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A Wiltshire rehab centre is to opens its doors to doctors and dentists to help them overcome alcohol and drug addiction problems.

As part of a two-year pilot project, a rehabilitation centre in Wiltshire is to offer treatment to medical professionals with alcohol or drug addiction problems, a source reveals.

Clouds House will deal with between 15 and 20 cases a year as part of a practitioner health programme currently being run in London, the BBC reports.

Previously, the rehab centre has helped people overcome dependency-creating behaviours including smoking, sex, shopping and exercise.

Clive Frogatt, a former doctor, claims the treatment clinic feels "like an island of tranquillity" and presents people with these conditions with a good foundation for their recovery.

He tells the news provider: "Doctors are particularly vulnerable, not only to the temptations of drug and alcohol abuse, but they're also particularly vulnerable in respect of their professional status."

Among the additional difficulties he identifies is the fact patients are not treated as such, but as medical professionals.

The Practitioner Health Programme was launched last November to help doctors and dentists in London receive treatment for alcohol misuse and drug addiction issues.

Staff operating as part of the service prior to Clouds House's involvement included a specialist nurse, psychologist and physician.

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