Drugs and Alcohol Policy:Trends and developments

Dr Marcus RobertsChief Executive, DrugScope

‘This strategy sets out a fundamentally different approach to tackling drugs and an entirely new ambition to reduce drug use and dependence. It will consider dependence on all drugs, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines. It recognises that severe alcohol dependence raises similar issues and that treatment providers are often one and the same ….’

Drug Strategy 2010

The new environment

Then:NTAPooled Treatment BudgetPDU and OCUCriminal JusticeTargets/performance management (national)Drug Action TeamsMore money

Now:PHE (Drugs, Alcohol and tobacco)Public Health BudgetNew trends and concernsPublic health/recoveryLocalismPublic health commissioning(Considerably) less money

Beyond heroin?

PHE Drug Treatment in England 2012-13

State of the Sector 2013

The unpredictable …

New synthetic opiates (ACMD report on AH-7912)

Rethinking ‘our’ sector

Some figures 298,752 ‘problem drug users’ in England 193,575 in drug treatment and 109,683 in alcohol

treatment 2.7 million people took an illicit drug in 2011-12 (about ¾

cannabis) 34% of men and 28% of women drank more than

recommended at least one day in the last week Some estimates suggest as many as 1.5 million dependent

on benzodiazepines 50 million anti-depressants prescribed (Health and Social

Care Information Centre)

Some thoughts The new environment and workforce and

skills development. Severe and multiple disadvantage and the

pervasiveness of drug and alcohol as issues. Services, interventions and sites. Competent for what and who are ‘we’? Unrecognised competencies (do we need

to keep up with the chemistry?)

www.drugscope.org.uk