News
ALCOHOL TREATMENT AT
CRISIS POINT, SAYS REPORT
A CYCLE OF DISINVESTMENT coupled with reduced
capacity and staffing levels means that the alcohol
treatment sector in England is in crisis, according to a
new report. The situation is putting ‘hundreds of
thousands of people at risk’, says The hardest hit:
addressing the crisis in alcohol treatment services, which is
published by the charity formed from the merger of
Alcohol Concern and Alcohol Research UK.
Rapid re-tendering cycles, lack of political support, loss
of qualified staff and funding cuts are having a severe
impact, the document warns, with the end of ring-fenced
public health funding in 2020 likely to worsen the
situation further. It is estimated that there are almost
600,000 people in England who are alcohol-dependent
and in need of specialist treatment.
The report is based on the views of more than 150
respondents including service providers, GPs, nurses and
others, who reported funding cuts of between 10 and 58
per ce