Drug treatment services exist, above all, to support drug misusers - helping them to minimise the harm they do to themselves, to reduce their use of illicit drugs and to rebuild their lives. But tackling drug misuse also delivers important benefits to the wider community. As drug problems often fuel crime, social exclusion and anti-social behaviour, effective treatment services can potentially improve all citizens' quality of life and play an important role in wider community renewal and regeneration strategies.
With growing evidence that a range of treatment interventions 'work', the Government has sought to increase the capacity of drug treatment services and has allocated new resources to realise this objective. Changing patterns of drug misuse and recent national initiatives - such as the establishment of a National Treatment Agency for England and new arrangements for the delivery of primary care - will also affect how local services are commissioned and provided. In response to these developments, the Audit Commission decided to undertake a study that would review the current provision of community-based drug treatment services for adults, identify any problems, and suggest how these could be overcome.
Although the nature and scale of drug misuse varies from area to area, most localities face the challenge of increasing the scale of treatment provision and getting best value from existing resources. This report therefore sets out practical recommendations that will enable drug action teams (drug and alcohol action teams in Wales), local commissioners and service providers to review their specialist services and joint commissioning arrangements. The report also highlights the steps that should be taken to strengthen the national framework of funding and policy guidance in order to support local efforts more effectively.
Included in this report:
- drug misuse and dependence
- drug treatment services
- problems with drug treatment services
- improving research