Drink and Drugs News November 2016 | Page 8

Policy

NO TIME TO LOSE

The evidence on rising drug deaths points to the need for a public health model , according to speakers at the Drugs , Alcohol and Justice Cross-Party Parliamentary Group

Drug poisoning accounted for one in six deaths among people in their 20s and 30s in 2015 in England and Wales – figures that included accidents and suicides and drug misuse and drug dependence , according to Vanessa Fearn and Neil Bannister of the Office for National Statistics . Data from the coroner showed that drug-related deaths ( DRDs ) had reached the highest level since records began , with the North East showing the highest DRD mortality rate and the East Midlands the lowest .

Deaths involving heroin or morphine had doubled in the last three years and there had been a ‘ dramatic rise ’ in male DRDs – some attributable to an increase in heroin purity .

Initiatives to gather and review regional evidence had shown that increased availability of heroin had ‘ clearly had an impact ’, combined with an ageing cohort of users , who were becoming ‘ iller , frailer and less able to withstand the rigours of a drug-using lifestyle ’, said Rosanna O ’ Connor , director for alcohol , drugs and tobacco at Public Health England .

meeting people ’ s needs and addressing both mental and physical health , alongside drug use . Recent initiatives included getting a DRD indicator into the public health outcomes framework and giving commissioners advice on naloxone provision .

‘ the capacity of treatment services to deal with other than their typical cohorts is being reduced ’

John Jolly the criminal justice system relating to drugs ( not just incarcerated ) and this had a ‘ major effect on their lives ’. Transferring responsibility for the drug strategy from the Home Office to the Department of Health would be an ‘ important symbolic move ’, he said .

Decriminalisation could help to counter the damage caused by disinvestment in outreach work and the RSPH was also keen on the idea of a wider public health workforce – ‘ people who have an opportunity to work with problematic drug users ’.

Steve Rolles , senior policy analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation , had worked with RSPH on their approach and hoped that ‘ this has paved the way for other public health bodies to look at these issues ’.

‘ It ’ s not a marginal issue anymore ,’ he said . ‘ Big lumbering conservative institutions are supporting these initiatives .’

Political support was accompanied by a growing bank of evidence . ‘ We know that criminalisation has a direct effect on risk – it makes people harder to reach ,’ he said . People were more likely to use alone or to share equipment .

‘ Deaths map onto areas of high health inequality .’

RoSanna o ’ ConnoR

At least half of the people dying were not currently in treatment , so some were likely to be chaotic . The increase in problems with prescription medicines was another contributing factor .

‘ Until the needs of this ageing group are met , these figures may continue to rise ,’ she said , adding that ‘ Deaths map onto areas of high health inequality .’

PHE had developed principles for action , which included applying a ‘ whole system approach ’ to

As so many people dying were not in treatment , how could we protect outreach services to ensure they reach them , asked John Jolly , chief executive of the treatment charity Blenheim . ‘ The capacity of treatment services to deal with other than their typical cohorts is being reduced ,’ he said .

‘ We need engagement in all places where people butt up against the criminal justice system ,’ said O ’ Connor .

Ed Morrow , PR and campaigns manager at the Royal Society for Public Health , explained that public health had previously been ‘ a bit reluctant to get involved with the discourse around drugs – but that ’ s changed ’.

‘ There ’ s too much government fixation on measuring use , but we have to remember that a lot of people use without having problems ,’ he said . ‘ We need to give people the information to make informed decisions .’

There were 80,000 people a year involved with

‘ We know that criminalisation has a direct effect on risk .’

Steve RolleS

In the 90 supervised injection facilities across the world , there had never been an overdose death , making them both effective and cost effective , said Rolles – ‘ Yet still in the UK we don ’ t have a single one .’ We could create one through localism , he pointed out – ‘ we don ’ t need to change the law to open one ’.

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