Treatment
Strategy
Treatment works and is cost-effective: for every £1 spent on treatment, at least £9:50 is saved in crime and health costs. Treatment breaks the links between drug misuse and crime.
Funding, Services and Targets
Current funding through the Pooled Treatment Budget is a record £385 million, a 28% increase compared with last year. This is supplemented every year with appoximately £200 million from the National Health Service and Local Authorities. Next year's pooled Treatment budget will be a record £398 million.
"In June 2006, the Department of Health invited bids from a £54 million Capital Funding Programme for the development of Inpatient and Residential rehabilitation (drug and alcohol) services. The outcome of the capital Development Programme was announced in February 2007." Outcome of Capital Development Programme (new window)
In August 2006, the Specialist Clinical Addiction Network (SCAN), together with the Department of Health (DH) and the National Treatment Agency (NTA) produced a report focusing on the inpatient treatment of drug and alcohol misusers in the National Health Service (new window). The report is intended to inform the ongoing DH and NTA initiative to expand the provision of inpatient and residential rehabilitation services in England.
The Public Service Agreement target for treatment is to increase the participation of problem drug users in drug treatment programmes by 55% by 2004 and 100% by 2008 (baseline 1998) and to increase year on year the proportion of users successfully sustaining or completing treatment programmes.
- Numbers in treatment increased from 160,450 in 2004/5 to 181,390 in 2005/6. This represents an increase of 113% on the 1998/99 baseline of 85,000.
We have therefore exceeded the target of 170,000 in treatment by 2008 two years early. Further information can be viewed on the NTA website using the following link NTA Media Releases (new window)
Key Issues
Heroin Prescribing
The Government aims to provide heroin prescribing to those with a clinical need for it. This will be a small minority of opiate users as evidence shows that oral methadone is the preferred treatment option in most cases where prescription of an opiate substitute is part of an individual’s treatment.
-
Guidance on prescribed heroin and injectable methadone is available on the National Treatment Agency website (new window).
Harm Minimisation
This is a public health approach to dealing with drug related issues that aims to reduce drug-related harm while also promoting abstinence. The target is to reduce the number of drug-related deaths by 20% by 2004.
-
More information on drug-related deaths is available on the National Treatment Agency website (new window).
Waiting Times and Access
The NTA and NIMHE (National Institute for Mental Health in England) have developed a national programme to improve access to treatment for drug misusers by reducing waiting times.
-
More information is on the National Treatment Agency website (new window).
Alcohol
In June 2007 the updated Alcohol Strategy - Safe. Sensible. Social the Next Steps in the National Alcohol Strategy was published.
-
View the Strategy.
Blood Borne Viruses
Injecting drug users risk a number of infectious diseases, including hepatitis B and C, HIV, as well as bacterial infections and fungal infections. Hepatitis B vaccination programmes have been commenced through funding over three years to Primary Care Trusts.
-
Information and documents regarding Hepatitis A, B and C are on the Department of Health website (new window).
Key Stakeholders
While leading on the implementation of the Drug Strategy, the Home Office works with a number of partners:
-
Department of Health has overall responsibility for the Drug Treatment Public Service Agreement Target and clinical services.
-
National Treatment Agency (NTA) - is a special health authority set up to improve the availability, capacity and effectiveness of treatment for drug misuse in England.
-
Locally, drug treatment services are co-ordinated by Drug (and Alcohol) Action Team partnerships (D(A)ATs). This is a body made up of key partners - Police, Probation Services, Prison Services, Statutory Agencies (housing and education) and Statutory Providers (National Health Service-based providers), and works together to address local treatment needs.
