The number of people receiving treatment for their drug problem increased by 41 per cent between 1998 (when the national drug strategy was launched) and 2002-03. Waiting times for drug treatment had been cut by two-thirds between December 2001 and September 2003.
Source: Provisional Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System in England, 2001/02 and 2002/03, Department of Health (020 7972 5581)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | DH press release | Links to related tables and reports | Turning Point press release
Date: 2003-Dec
A official working group proposed improvements in ways to provide services for people in Scotland suffering from co-occurring drug and alcohol misuse and mental health problems.
Source: Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse/Scottish Advisory Committee on Alcohol Misuse, Mind the Gaps: Meeting the needs of people with co-occurring substance misuse and mental health problems, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Links: Report (pdf) | Report | SE press release
Date: 2003-Oct
A report said that many people did not understand what treatment for drug addiction involved, and that drugs users themselves often believed negative street myths which put them off seeking help. This stigma and lack of understanding might be preventing many people with a major drug problem, such as those with a heroin or crack cocaine addiction, from getting life-saving support.
Source: Treatment Works: Fact or fiction?, European Association for the Treatment of Addiction (020 7922 8753)
Links: Report (pdf) | Treatment Works press release | Community Care report
Date: 2003-Sep
A report critically examined the research, clinical, political and practical challenges to expanding heroin prescription. It said there was a dearth of research evidence from the United Kingdom on the effectiveness of prescribing heroin - in particular, it was unclear who might benefit most from this type of treatment, and in what circumstances. It concluded that any expansion of heroin prescribing needed a clear strategy for doing so, and a robust evaluation of its effectiveness.
Source: Gerry Stimson and Nicky Metrebian, Prescribing Heroin: What is the evidence?, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 431213)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF Findings 943 | JRF press release
Date: 2003-Sep
Researchers evaluated a pilot project designed to support families coping with alcoholism. They said that, despite the huge range of problems affecting the family members of problem drinkers, most services were focused on problem drinkers themselves.
Source: Richard Velleman, Lorna Templeton, Andy Taylor and Paul Toner, The Family Alcohol Service: Evaluation of a pilot, Mental Health Research & Development Unit/University of Bath, available from Family Alcohol Service (020 7383 3817)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-Aug
The opposition Conservative Party proposed an additional 20,000 places for young people in drug rehabilitation centres - 'enough for every young hard drug addict in Britain'. Campaigners questioned the practicality of the proposal.
Source: Speech 3.7.03 by Iain Duncan Smith MP (Leader of Conservative Party) | Press release 3.7.03, DrugScope (020 7928 1211)
Links: Text of speech | Conservative Party press release | DrugScope press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jul
Researchers examined drug-related mortality among newly released offenders (following evidence that this group was particularly vulnerable). It was recommended that general education and awareness-raising about the risk of drug-related death in the immediate post-release period should be made available to all prisoners as part of their release preparation. It was also recommended that links to community-based services be improved: prisoners at higher risk should be identified and linked with community-based care services immediately on release.
Source: Nicola Singleton, Elizabeth Pendry, Colin Taylor, Michael Farrell and John Marsden, Drug-related Mortality among Newly-released Offenders, Online Report 16/03, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf) | Findings (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
A report said that chronic underfunding of alcohol services, and a lack of training for frontline medical staff, meant that many people did not get the level of support they required. It called for a threefold increase in spending on alcohol counselling and treatment to more than 300 million; alcohol treatment services to be made a priority in the government s proposed national alcohol strategy; more emphasis on alcohol problems by primary care professionals such as family doctors; and a cash injection into community initiatives, such as better training for bar staff and improved public transport for late-night drinkers.
Source: Commission on the Future of Alcohol Services: What services are needed, who needs them and how they should be provided, Alcohol Concern (020 7928 8667)
Links: Summary (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2003-Jun
A report estimated that there were between 250,000 and 350,000 children of problem drug users in the United Kingdom about one for every problem drug user. It said that parental problem drug use caused serious harm to children at every age from conception to adulthood; that reducing this harm should become a main objective of policy and practice; that effective treatment of the parents could have major benefits for their children; and that the number of affected children was only likely to decrease when the number of problem drug users decreased.
Source: Hidden Harm Responding to the needs of children of problem drug users, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, available from prolog.uk.com (0870 241 4680)
Links: Report (pdf) | Home Office press release | Guardian report | Children's Society press release
Date: 2003-Jun
A report advocated providing facilities where addicts could use drugs in safe and hygienic conditions, reducing the risk to themselves and tackling open drugs misuse. It also called for better resourced treatment services for those addicted to hard drugs. It said that overly punitive drugs laws were serving to undermine the effective development of strategies to support and treat crack and heroin addicts.
Source: Marcus Roberts, Drugs and Crime: From warfare to welfare, National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (020 7582 6500)
Links: Report (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2003-May