Substance recovery expert joins University public health team

A leading public health specialist in drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services has joined the University of Essex as an Honorary Professor.

Ben Hughes, who is Head of Wellbeing and Public Health at Essex County Council will help provide strategic direction within the University’s Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing.

He will also bring his expertise in relation to local authority commissioning in public health and in relation to working with a range of vulnerable groups.

Ben currently heads up Essex County Council’s drugs and alcohol, health and justice, housing related support and homelessness prevention, complex needs and elements of domestic abuse commissioning.

He is already working with Essex’s Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing on a project to develop evidence-based psychosocial and rights-based interventions for alcohol and substance use across the county. He is also collaborating with the University on a £5million regional project to tackle health inequalities.

Ben has previously worked in the criminal justice system supporting the implementation of drug treatment services and in Europe supporting EU pre-accession countries with the development of policy, strategy and delivery frameworks for substance misuse.

He founded the Essex Recovery Foundation which uses lived experiences to influence how services function and change perceptions of addiction and recovery. He is also Chair of the English Substance Use Commissioners Group, a strategic forum for those with commissioning responsibility for substance use services.

Speaking about his new role at the Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing, Ben said: “It is an honour and truly exciting to be awarded this position. Working with the Institute has seen research and evidence placed at the heart of what we are doing in Essex and beyond in relation to substance use treatment and care.

“This will further enable us to build the evidence in relation to this agenda and additionally the development of commissioning as a systems leadership function within local authorities and more widely.”

Professor Mariachiara Di Cesare, Director of the Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing, added: “We are delighted to welcome Ben as an Honorary Professor. The Institute and the University will benefit hugely from his experience and expertise. His position also demonstrates and strengthens our commitment to working in partnership with local authorities to strategically develop evidence-based approaches and solutions.”