Drugs and Alcohol
Drug Misuse 2004: Reducing the local impact
In 1998 the government published a national strategy to tackle the problem of drug misuse in England and Wales, which was updated in 2002. This report looks at how well this national strategy is being delivered at a local level.
Title: Drug Misuse 2004: Reducing the local impact
Author: Audit Commission
Date published: November 2004
Number of pages: 68
The effects of drug misuse are felt by everyone as drug problems fuel crime and anti-social behaviour. Some significant progress in tackling the problem has been made but drug abuse still continues to blight the lives of individuals and disrupt communities.
Those drug users causing the severest difficulties to communities usually have very complex social and psychological problems. Theses issues need to be treated in order to give the individual the best chance of starting, completing and sustaining recovery successfully. The focus at the moment is very much on treating the addiction in an attempt to bring some order and normality to the drug users' often chaotic life.
The Facts
1 in 3 (33%) problem drug users are homeless or in need of housing support.
Their long term drugs issues often start at a young age.
They struggle to get benefits and access to the range of services needed to support a more stable lifestyle.
Many have mental health problems and over half of newly committed prisoners are classified as problem drug users.
Some users who have embarked on treatment can rely on others for support. But many face this challenge alone. Too often they simply drop off the recovery path
34% of drug users leaving treatment drop out within the first 12 weeks, losing contact with support organisations and often slipping back into old behaviours.
Progress so far
There has been impressive progress since 2002 when the Audit Commission report 'Changing Habits' recommended wider and more flexible community-based drug treatment services for adults. Local commitment backed by national strategies, programmes and funding is having an impact.
The capacity of local drug treatment services has grown.
Local agencies are working more effectively in partnership and services are more integrated.
Waiting times are down and 20% more users are now starting treatment.
There is also a national programme specifically aimed at getting offenders into treatment.
Recommendations
Despite the progress made, the 34% drop-out rate remains a significant problem. For users to complete the recovery path successfully and sustain a stable lifestyle the report recommends:
Better support and follow on services to back up treatment then sustain recovery - a supportive infrastructure of key services should be in place during and after treatment. Local authorities, the health service, police, prison and probation all have core responsibilities to deliver tailored support such as housing, help with transport and child care.
Services to meet needs of users and carers - Policy makers and local practitioners should use the insight of users and carers to shape the services to meet individual needs. Focusing on the individual and not just their 'drug problem' will lead to more effective use of resources and better value for money.
Two separate problems for local services are short-term funding and the fragmented regulatory framework. It is essential then that:
the government and the relevant national bodies must act to enable local partners to take long-term funding decisions
the government encourages a more strategic approach to user and carer involvement in shaping services.
Local authorities, health services, police and probation partners are currently preparing the drug misuse component of local crime and disorder strategies for 2005 to 2008. These offer an excellent opportunity for local agencies to sign up to strategies which will provide drug users with an effective pathway to recovery together with good prospects for a sustained and stable lifestyle.
Last update: 12 November 2004