Drink and Drugs News October 2016 | Page 4

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HEROIN DEATHS DOUBLE IN JUST FOUR YEARS

THE NUMBER OF HEROIN-RELATED DEATHS in England and Wales has doubled since 2012, from 579 to 1,201, according to the latest ONS figures. Last year saw the highest number of drug-related fatalities ever recorded with 3,674 poisoning deaths, of which 2,479 exclusively involved illegal drugs. Scotland also recorded its highest drug death toll in 2015, at 706( DDN, September, page 4).

Although the government is keen to stress that the figures come against a background of falling rates of overall drug use, deaths involving cocaine also reached an all time high at 320 – up from 247 the previous year. Deaths involving amphetamine also reached their highest-ever level, and those involving ecstasy the highest in more than a decade.

Overall most drug deaths were again among the over-30s, with the North East of England the region recording the highest number of deaths for the third year running and males almost three times more likely to die than females. Although, as in Scotland, the number of deaths involving NPS remained relatively small, the substances could‘ present a more significant problem in the future, especially as not enough is known about the long term effects of their use’, stressed Public Health England( PHE).

An independent expert group convened by PHE and the Local Govern- ment Association( LGA) has published a list of recommendations to try to address the rising death rate, including improving access to treatment – especially for‘ harder to reach’ populations through outreach work and needle and syringe programmes – and coordinating a‘ whole-system approach’ that includes mental health, housing and employment support.

‘ Drug use is the fourth most common cause of death for those aged 15 to 49 in England...’

ROSANNA O’ CONNOR

‘ Drug use is the fourth most common cause of death for those aged 15 to 49 in England and we know that the majority of those dying from opiates have either never, or not recently, been in treatment,’ said PHE’ s director of drugs, alcohol and tobacco, Rosanna O’ Connor.‘ Reassuringly, overall drug use has declined and treatment services have helped many people to recover but there is a need for an enhanced effort to ensure the most vulnerable can access treatment.

There is considerable variation across the country, with some regions showing large increases in recent years. PHE will continue to support local authorities in delivering tailored, effective services where people stand the best chance of recovery.’

The‘ shocking’ statistics raised serious concerns about both government policy and the state of the treatment sector, however, said Release executive director Niamh Eastwood.‘ Since 2010 we have seen a worrying implementation of abstinence-based treatment under the government’ s ideologically-driven“ recovery” agenda. This goes against all the evidence for best practice in drug treatment, and is contributing, we believe, to this shameful rise in deaths. Such a hostile environment means people simply don’ t want to access treatment.’

There was also‘ an increasing tendency among local authorities to simply offer treatment contracts to providers who can deliver the service for the lowest cost,’ she continued, with healthcare standards‘ being overlooked’ for financial reasons.‘ The Home Office’ s pursuit of a“ tough on drugs” strategy and refusal to acknowledge the evidence for best practice in drug treatment is quite literally killing people.’ Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales: 2015 registrations at www. ons. gov. uk Understanding and preventing drug-related deaths: The report of a national expert working group to investigate drug-related deaths in England at www. nta. nhs. uk

HEP OPTIMISM

ANOTHER‘ POTENTIAL CURATIVE’ DRUG for people with hepatitis C is to be made available on the NHS, according to new guidance published by NICE. Elbasvir / grazoprevir has shown cure rates above 90 per cent in some patient groups, says the document, and‘ provides considerable health benefits to patients without some of the adverse side effects associated with earlier anti-viral treatments’, according to director of NICE’ s centre for health technology evaluation, Professor Carole Longson.

MENTOR MERGER

TWO LEADING DRUGS EDUCATION CHARITIES are merging this month. Mentor UK, known for its work preventing alcohol and drug misuse among children and young people will join with Angelus, the only UK charity dedicated to highlighting risks from new psychoactive substances. The organisation will be called Mentor UK, with Michael O’ Toole as chief executive.‘ This merger is a great match of expertise – it is going to give fresh impetus to the prevention agenda,’ he said.

STAND AND DELIVER

A THREE-YEAR SUBSTANCE MISUSE DELIVERY PLAN has been launched by the Welsh Government, including better collaboration between mental health and substance services and more work to reduce blood-borne virus transmission.‘ We want to ensure everyone can access the support and information that they need,’ said minister for social services and public health, Rebecca Evans. The country has also seen a 14 per cent increase in the distribution of takehome naloxone kits, according to figures from Public Health Wales. The kits were reportedly used in more than 430 poisoning events in 2015- 16. Substance misuse delivery plan 2016-2018 at gov. wales; Take home naloxone 2015-16 at www2. nphs. wales. nhs. uk

QUITTING TIME

THE SMOKING RATE IN ENGLAND HAS FALLEN to its lowest ever level, at below 17 per cent, according to figures from PHE. Last year saw 500,000 smokers successfully give up, with cigarette sales in England and Wales dropping by 20 per cent in just two years.‘ There is more help and support available now than ever before,’ said deputy chief medical officer Dr Gina Radford.‘ The introduction of standardised packs removes the glamorous branding and brings health warnings to the fore, and e-cigarettes, which many smokers find helpful for quitting, are now regulated to assure their safety and quality.’

Cigarette sales in England and Wales have dropped by 20 per cent in just two years.

PRISON PAUSE

JUSTICE SECRETARY LIZ TRUSS( pictured) has raised doubts about whether the wide-ranging prison reforms set out in the Queen’ s Speech( DDN, June, pages 5 and 7; September, page 10) will now go ahead, telling a meeting of the justice committee last month that,‘ I am not committing to any specific piece of legislation at this stage’. Meanwhile, a report by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman has said there is‘ an unacceptable level of violence’ in English and Welsh prisons. Establishments should have a coordinated approach to identifying risks of bullying and violence, it says, including‘ the impact of new psychoactive substances and associated debt’. Learning lessons bulletin at www. ppo. gov. uk

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