Policy
Breaking point
Chronic lack of investment is gambling with lives, agreed members of the parliamentary group
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The current culture of disinvestment is affecting all aspects of social policy and is creating a negative cycle that does not support recovery in any way, shape or form,’
Kevin Jaffray told a recent meeting of the Drugs, Alcohol and Justice Cross-Party Parliamentary Group.
‘ The continued financial restrictions cannot produce any of the desired outcomes, but are instead having a negative impact on penetration and retention, which results in the continued rise in demand for substances, which then escalates the criminal involvement in supply, and together they increase the cost to the wider community,’ he said.
Furthermore:‘ When there is inconsistency in care, due to the constant fear of future security and stability, it makes it impossible to maintain the standard of care that the UK was once held in international high esteem for … we are now beyond breaking point and paying with our lives.’
Jaffray, a peer educator and trainer, made the case for urgent reinvestment in the sector and called for an end to the increasingly competitive market that compromised standards of care. Genuine service user involvement should be integral to running local services and keeping risks and preventable harms in check.
‘ Enough is enough,’ he concluded.‘ We demand action – no more deaths, lest you are prepared to live with our blood on your hands.’
The group opened discussion on Jaffray’ s points through reviewing their recent Charter for change( DDN, May, page 7).
‘ We once had services that led the way,’ said Yasmin Batliwala, chair of Westminster Drug Project.‘ We now need to do a lot to catch up with countries in the developing world that are doing a lot more for their service users. The sign of a civilised society is how it cares for its most vulnerable.’
John Jolly, chief executive of Blenheim, highlighted the prominence of an evidence-based alcohol strategy in the charter, aimed at tackling deaths from liver disease, many cancers, high blood pressure, cirrhosis and depression. The crisis in hospitals was exacerbated by beds being blocked because of alcohol-related issues, he said, adding‘ it’ s been an uphill battle to get an alcohol strategy’.
Chronic health conditions – including hepatitis C, which had 90 per cent of cases relating to drug use – far outnumbered deaths from drug-related poisoning,
‘ We once had services that led the way...’
Yasmin BatliWala he pointed out.
‘ We’ re failing by the rationing of treatment for a stigmatised group of people,’ he said, because‘ there is no mandate for local authorities to produce drug and alcohol treatment’. The loss of ring-fence around funding combined with the cost pressures on local authorities made their decisions impossible:‘ If you’ re choosing between drug treatment and social care for the elderly, which do you choose?’
‘ Huge pressures on the system and lack of invest- ment in the sector’ left an‘ inability to respond to the huge health issues that are coming our way’, he warned.
‘ We know the impact on employment chances among other things,’ added Sophie Paley of Addaction.‘ We’ ve got the evidence – we need the government to act on it.’
MEDIA SAVVY
The news, and the skews, in the national media
DRUG ABUSE WILL CONTINUE NO MATTER how long the sentences and how many police officers are seconded in the hopeless fight. Our prisons will continue to be pits of despair, families will continue to be driven into separation and squalor and our town |
centres increasingly populated by fellow citizens zombified from some unsafe illegal concoction they gave a dealer a tenner for. Time for a change in strategy. Independent editorial, 2 August
AGAINST A BACKDROP OF INCREASING POLICY INNOVATION in the wider world, the main aims of [ the 2017 drug strategy ] are largely unchanged from the previous 2010 version. There’ s still a focus on recovery, rather than harm reduction. A continued commitment to tackling the problems caused by drugs through the criminal justice system, rather than through the health system. A point blank refusal to consider decriminalisation, or any reforms to
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the Misuse of Drugs Act. Worse, what good initiatives there are in the strategy – and there are some – seem to have been dreamed up by minds unfettered by the reality of public health, criminal justice and policing systems squeezed to breaking point. Henry Fisher, Guardian, 15 July
TRUMP’ S OPIOID COMMISSION OFFERED HOPE that the epidemic would finally get the attention it needs. It made a series of sensible if limited recommendations: more mental health treatment for people with a substance abuse disorder and more effective forms of rehab. Trump finally got around to saying that the epidemic is a national emergency on Thursday after he was criticised for ignoring his own commission’ s recommendation to do so. But he
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reinforced the idea that the victims are to blame with an offhand reference to LSD. Real leadership is still absent – and that won’ t displease the pharmaceutical companies at all. Chris McGreal, Observer, 13 August
IT IS A TABLE THAT NO CARING, CIVILISED NATION WOULD WISH TO FIND ITSELF TOP OF. But the sad truth is that Scotland has the highest rate of drugs deaths in the European Union … The sad reality is that behind every one of these death statistics is a personal story of a life blighted by addiction, a family bereaved. It is also the story of wasted lives and communities scarred. We simply must find new, more successful ways to help and bring hope to those afflicted; it will be to our great shame if we do not. Herald opinion, 16 August
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10 | drinkanddrugsnews | September 2017 www. drinkanddrugsnews. com