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Drugs: Misuse

Volume 486: debated on Thursday 15 January 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 10 September 2008, Official Report, column 1898W, on drugs: misuse, how many people were discharged from treatment for drug misuse, broken down by discharge reason, in 2007-08; how many people left treatment in 2007-08; and how many people returned to drug treatment having previously been discharged as having (a) completed treatment, (b) completed treatment drug free and (c) completed treatment and been referred on. (247442)

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Treatment withdrawn/breach of contract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.