Edward Day BA, BM, BCh, DM, MRCPsych, MBE
UK government recovery champion
Dr Ed Day is the UK government’s drug Recovery Champion and vice president of the Society for the Study of Addiction. In 2024, King Charles announced he was awarded the MBE for services to vulnerable people.
He is a clinician who has led the orientating of clinical practice towards recovery and has a research interest in recovery support services and mutual aid.
He is a clinical reader in Addiction Psychiatry at the Institute for Mental Health at the University of Birmingham (where he earned The Rose Sidgwick Award for External Engagement and Impact), and a consultant psychiatrist with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Trust. He has been an expert adviser on addiction issues to Public Health England and the Department for Transport. He also pioneered the Better Than Well university collegiate programme at the University of Birmingham and collaborates with other universities on these.
Dr Day’s research has focused on the broad theme of effective treatment interventions for drug and alcohol dependence. This has involved a combination of projects utilising: medication or psychosocial interventions, projects exploring methods of implementation and research into the organisational factors associated with effective outcomes.
In 2008 he set up an MSc programme in the Treatment of Substance Misuse at the University of Birmingham and remains active in teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Recovery champion
The role of Recovery Champion was announced by the government in May 2019, with the aim of bringing together expertise and best practice to help England become a centre of excellence in recovery from addiction. This is a national leadership role focusing on key aspects of recovery from drug misuse. The Recovery Champion supports the government at national and local levels, bringing a range of stakeholders together with the aim of galvanising effective partnerships to secure effective recovery outcomes. The Recovery Champion works with partners in all parts of the UK to support sharing of ideas and good practice. In partnership with Public Health England, the Recovery Champion focuses on: promoting greater social integration, supporting sustained recovery and improving the experience of those seeking to achieve lives free from drugs.
PRESENTATION
Effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for adults with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders
Ed Day will describe the progress developing an understanding of recovery in national policy in England over the past 5 years. He will also share findings from his latest collaborative research, a comprehensive umbrella review of 28 systematic reviews evaluating psychosocial interventions for adults (18+) with substance use disorders and co-occurring common mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder. It examines the comparative effectiveness of integrated, parallel, and sequential treatment approaches, highlights the challenges posed by high heterogeneity in the evidence base, and discusses implications for clinical practice and future research in dual-diagnosis care.
Learning objectives
At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:
- Describe the current evidence on the effectiveness of various psychosocial interventions for improving both substance use and mental health outcomes in adults with co-occurring disorders
- Compare the relative benefits of integrated treatment versus treating conditions separately or in parallel/uncoordinated services
- Identify key research gaps (e.g., need for longer follow-up, larger samples, and direct comparisons of treatment models) and discuss their implications for evidence-based practice in dual-diagnosis populations.