Drugs: Rehabilitation

Mr. Gale
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2008, Official Report, column 670W, on drugs: rehabilitation, what definition of in treatment is used in the answer.

Dawn Primarolo
[holding answer 26 February 2008]: The figures given in the answer of 19 February 2008, Official Report, column 670W, are taken from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). NDTMS is a data collection system used to maintain treatment activity.

The definition used by the treatment providers submitting data to NDTMS is contained within the Models of Care guidance document is as follows:

“... a range of interventions that are intended to remedy an identified drug-related problem or condition relating to a person's physical, psychological or social (including legal) well-being. This data should include:

drug misusers being treated/assessed/referred for tier 3 or 4 services;

(substitute/detox prescribing, structured counselling, structured day care programme, other psychotherapeutic interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy and motivational interventions, residential rehabilitation or community-based aftercare programmes);

those referred from the criminal justice system;

drug misusers in treatment who are resident in the drug action team area regardless of where they are being treated;

all drug misusers for whom a service is provided, irrespective of setting and funding (but excluding drug misusers treated in prison). This will include drug misusers receiving services from national health service, voluntary and private residential and non-residential drug treatment agencies as well as general practitioners treating drug misusers.

Structured drug treatment follows assessment and is delivered according to a care plan, with clear goals, which is regularly reviewed with the client.”

Source:

Models of Care for the Treatment of Adult Drug Misusers (National Treatment Agency, 2002).