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of services. However, we risk rolling backwards – a situation of looking to reduce the workforce. I would like to see our work built more into healthcare. We’ re not working with people who make bad choices – this is health. Everyone knows someone.
Deaths are rising from COPD and liver disease – and over half of the latter are attributable to alcohol. These are core issues. And we need to be meeting people where they’ re at. The women’ s treatment group is committed to designing services with women, asking them about their preferences. For chemsex issues, we need to be as comfortable talking about sex as chem.
We need to work with regulators – what does good care look like? Let’ s mainstream the agenda in health. We need long-term sustainable investment and a real driver for changing the narrative around drugs and alcohol.
KAREN BIGGS, chief executive, Phoenix Futures: The capacity of the rehab sector has reduced while demand has increased. There are empty rehab beds. We remodelled services with the confidence of the drug strategy, but last year just 0.5 per cent of people in treatment could access rehab and it’ s difficult for people with complex needs. It’ s one of the few areas of strategy that hasn’ t seen any improvement.
We’ re asking for clear leadership. When people say we can’ t afford treatment, I’ d say we can’ t not afford it. The government isn’ t saying anything and the silence is deafening, frustrating, upsetting. We’ ll carry on filling gaps but we really need clear direction.
Stigma gets in the way. The drug strategy was written with the perspective that a little bit of stigma is a good thing – if you believe that, go to the Anti Stigma Network website. We need to be slow to judge and quick to understand.
KIRSTEN HORSBURGH,: It feels like a deflection to say the sector needs to get it together – the government needs to be clearer.
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‘ The government isn’ t saying anything and the silence is deafening, frustrating, upsetting.’
KAREN BIGGS
GEORGE CHARLTON: In the North East we have a record nobody wants. We’ re waiting for permission to do something.
We have the evidence base, we have the guidance, we know what works. It’ s time for social disobedience – friends are dying.
TRENDS AND NEEDS IN TREATMENT
PROF ADAM WINSTOCK, consultant psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist: We need to know how to be more successful. A business would ask,‘ What do our customers want?’ Most people who’ ve died haven’ t been in treatment for over five years.
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NIAMH EASTWOOD, executive director, Release: We have silence from government on a public health emergency – the 14th year of the highest level of DRDs on record. It’ s heartbreaking for everyone who’ s lost someone and the lack of response from government is extraordinary. People are feeling the effects of extreme social neglect and we have to think about moving away from silos. There are too many services that don’ t welcome you – that make you feel you’ re walking into a secure facility. People who use drugs don’ t need a secure facility. |
‘ It’ s time for social disobedience – friends are dying.’
GEORGE CHARLTON
The fact kids aren’ t allowed into facilities is extraordinary.
We can’ t stop stigma until we stop treating people like criminals. When you treat someone like a criminal they will not access services.
DR CAROLINE COPELAND, senior lecturer in pharmacology and toxicology, King’ s College London: The database shows drug deaths but ONS are aware they’ re undercounting. Staff have been cut and they need more funding. There’ s so much focus on individual drugs, but it’ s rare in deaths that there’ s one substance. Polydrug use is rising and it can be six or seven substances. So just focusing on drug class doesn’ t have an impact on how they’ re policed – dealers are dealing in various classes.
We need to focus on education, and drug use as a whole. Single substance drug policy – and treatment – doesn’ t work. We need to look at the wider picture.
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PROF JULIA BUXTON, professor of justice and drug policy, Liverpool John Moores University: We’ re hearing about an awful situation – and it’ s going to get a whole lot worse. There’ s been a paradigm shift – trafficking has moved to different countries and it’ s now agile, fast, violent and extremely dynamic with gang-based organisations. It’ s fragmented, digitalised – and no country can isolate itself anymore. Social media dealing is one of the key platforms.
The glut of cocaine is a real
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problem with semi-submersibles carrying it all around Europe. Synthetics are a real challenge, but we also have over-supply of plant-based drugs. The dealers are ahead – and the police don’ t have the skills to keep up.
MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE
JASON KEW, drug and alcohol public health specialist: I know how the law can harm people.‘ Hard to reach’ is a failure of the system. When DRD statistics came out, leaders were saying‘ we need’, not‘ what are we doing?’. Are people hard to reach – or are we hard to change?
PASTOR MICK FLEMMING, founder, Church on the Street: You don’ t really want lived experience – people with rotting flesh. The system you’ ve created is helping to kill people. You’ ve based it on fairness, when fairness doesn’ t exist. Your system is bollocks, it doesn’ t work. We are all responsible. But at Church on the Street the first thing is a cafe, showers, a laundry room.
I have a church where 50 per cent will be dead in a year. You don’ t look at outcomes from people like us. Our outcomes are remarkable despite people like
‘ You don’ t really want lived experience... The system you’ ve created is helping to kill people.’
PASTOR MICK FLEMMING
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