FocusOn LEROs: The Rising Influence of Lived Experience in Recovery

“Treatment services can help people stop using substances, but staying in recovery and rebuilding networks, skills, and purpose is much harder”.

(Prof. Ed Day – DDN December 2025)

Background

LEROs – or Lived Experience Recovery Organisations – are independent, peer-led organisations that support people in recovery from substance misuse. The core concept of LEROs is one which promotes recovery through the ‘social contagion of hope’ – the idea that seeing others succeed in recovery makes it feel possible for everyone else.

Five years ago, LEROs were the sector’s “best-kept secret” – today, they are a national powerhouse, with over 50 LEROs now operating across 70+ local authorities. This represents a sevenfold increase in just the last five years, and is evidence that LEROs now constitute an important component in the recovery journey.

  

Case Study: Bridge – Northampton

To understand the impact of LEROs in more detail, we wanted to highlight Bridge, who have been supporting clients across Northamptonshire for over two decades.

Founded in 2005, the Bridge Substance Misuse Recovery programme is a peer-led service that serves more than 1,000 members.

  
    • The Team: Over 90% of Bridge’s 40+ staff have personal experience with drug / alcohol dependency
    • The Demand: Referrals have surged to 1,300 a year, driven by the cost-of-living crisis, increasing mental health challenges and social isolation
    • The Impact: In October 2025, HRH The Princess Royal visited Bridge to celebrate their 20yr anniversary. Her visit ‘…shone a light on the remarkable organisation and (the) individuals who make such a positive difference in our communities’

As a long-standing member of CLERO – the College of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations – the peer-led support provided by Bridge is delivered through a robust framework of national standards that ensure the service’s independent, grassroots approach remains safe and professional.

Bridge is more than simply a service – it has grown into a community of 1,000 residents, proving that lived experience is a professional asset.

The Data Dilemma: Proving what we know

Whilst the sector undeniably feels the impact of LEROs, commissioners face the recurring question: ‘How do we measure the “soft outcomes” of LEROs’ within a local Recovery-Oriented System of Care ?’

From March 2026, the University of Birmingham will begin a 3-year study which aims to explore the role of LEROs within England’s drug and alcohol recovery systems. Its mission is to map the LERO landscape and co-produce a formal evidence-based framework that will give commissioners the hard data they need to fund these vital services with confidence.

Bridging the Gap with LINKS CarePath

At ILLY, we believe that all services – including non-structured services like LEROs – can benefit from the richness of data that helps evidence the great work they do and the impact they have on their local communities.

LINKS CarePath is already used by several LERO’s across the UK, and is well equipped to support services to:

    • Capture the Recovery Journey: Track “soft” outcomes over years, not just weeks
    • Evidence the Efficacy: Generate the longitudinal reports that prove long-term recovery is happening
    • Maintain Anonymity, Maximise Insight: Professional data management that respects the peer-led ethos of LEROs

Your Voice Matters – Are you delivering peer-led support?

If you have experience of working for or commissioning LEROs – or you would like to know more about their impact and importance – we’d love to hear from you!

Please contact our Client Services Team and we’ll be happy to help:

Phone 020 4566 5727   email  clientservices@illycorp.com