The following table shows the number of individuals discharged from structured treatment for drug misuse, by discharge reason, for 2007-08. These data are taken from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) statistical release 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008, published by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA).
Discharge reason Percentage Number Treatment completed drug free 11 7,324 Treatment completed 25 17,306 Referred on 16 10,811 Total Successful Discharges 51 35,441 Dropped out/left 28 19,591 Prison 6 4,240 Other 4 2,817 Treatment declined by client 3 2,169 Treatment withdrawn/breach of contract 3 2,078 Moved away 2 1,605 Died 1 784 Not known1 1 520 No appropriate treatment available 1 367 Total (individuals discharged) — 69,612 Missing/inconsistent data — 30 Total including missing/inconsistent data — 69,642 1 That is where agency staff indicated that they did not know the reason for discharge
Data on individuals in structured drug and alcohol treatment are collected by the NTA via the NDTMS, using the following definitions for successful discharge reasons:
‘Treatment completed drug free’ refers to an individual, who the treatment provider believes has completed their treatment no longer dependent on their drug of misuse and is not using any other illegal drugs.
‘Treatment completed’ refers to an individual, who the treatment provider believes has completed their treatment no longer dependent on their drug of misuse, but who may be using drugs in a non-dependent way.
‘Referred on’ refers to an individual who, on completion of a Tier 3 or 4 service, is transferred to a Tier 2 service or support services such as housing support or employment support.
Information on the number of individuals who have re-entered structured drug treatment, after having been discharged from structured treatment for drug misuse, is not routinely calculated.