City plagued by drugs problems despite success in treatment

HULL is still plagued by drugs problems despite the success of schemes which have led eight out of 10 addicts using treatment programmes, a new study has revealed. The city has pursued a vigorous war on drugs because Hull Council and its partners realised that crimes committed by addicts to feed their habits had an impact on the whole community. Hull’s strategy of rehabilitation programmes for users has continue to succeed, the numbers in treatment for class A drug addiction actually exceeding national targets, according to Citysafe. However, although more than 2,000 users are on the books of local rehab services, Britain’s approach to the problem is now focused on getting people drug- free, not just in getting them to enrol on treatment courses. Hull’s head of drug and offender health strategy, Vicky Harris, said research by Glasgow University pointed to the success of Hull’s approach in reducing the sheer number of users. She said: “The revised estimates issued by the university indicate the number of problematic drug-users in Hull has dropped marginally to an estimated prevalence of 3,613, which is a positive reflection of work ongoing to reduce drug problems in Hull. “However, the prevalence of problematic drug-users in Hull is still significantly higher than that of other Yorkshire and Humber areas.” A report to the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership has set out the key themes for the annual drug treatment plan in the coming business year. The partnership leads the way in implementing the National Drugs Strategy at a local level in Hull – chiefly by commissioning of treatment services for adult drug misuse. Local performance is measured by the National Treatment Agency, which says that the partnership has continued to perform well in most areas. The target for numbers into treatment has been exceeded and there was a continued growth in the number of class A drug users seeking help. But Ms Harris added: “The national agenda now has a much greater focus on recovery, rather than engagement in treatment and Hull services have a poor performance record in relation to drug free exits.” The main target for 2010-11 was getting all local organisations to support drug-users at an earlier stage and keeping a closer eye on them after they leave treatment. Figures showed that at the start of this business year 2,019 uses were on a recovery programme, 450 known users were not, and 556 had contacted treatment services in the past two years. This pointed towards eight out of 10 people with a drugs problem seeking help, and five out of 10 in active treatment. What was needed now was a more streamlined service, including targeting addicts with children. It was believed there were 500 problematic drug users with dependent children who live with them. A further 650 users have families with whom they may have more limited contact, or family relationships may have broken down. The report underlines that once in treatment, services have not focused enough on the needs of the whole family. Fewer people are dropping out of rehab, but the number kicking the habit was also falling. It was forecast to be around 22 per cent at the end of the year against a target of 32 per cent. The report says getting people drug free had not always been something routinely aimed for. All services would be monitored in the coming year. Head of Citysafe Tracy Harsley and her team are calling for a co-ordinated approach to recovery which goes beyond treatment to getting recovering users into jobs and training schemes.Only 13 per cent of those treated currently have a regular job.