Alcohol and Drug Treatment to Expand and Improve in Staffordshire

More Staffordshire people are to get treatment for alcohol and drug addiction under new contracts announced by Conservative controlled Staffordshire County Council.

Around 20% or 400 more people, up from 2,100 to 2,500, will be in treatment at any time and will benefit from better, more joined up services designed to treat the root causes of their addiction as well as their physical dependence.

The new approach was made possible by last year’s transfer of public health responsibilities to the County Council.  It will also improve collective work with the police and health partners to prevent drug and alcohol abuse, which costs Staffordshire an estimated £110m every year – around £60m to the NHS and councils through ill health and social care; £20m to the criminal justice system; and £30m to employers in sick days and lost productivity.

Working within its new public health responsibilities, the county council along with police and health partners agreed a new long-term strategy to reduce the negative impact on public services and the economy.  More importantly, the plan aims to reduce the human cost of alcohol and drug abuse on individuals, families and communities across Staffordshire.

Robbie Marshall, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing on Staffordshire County Council, said, “If drug and alcohol abuse goes untreated, it can ruin lives, harm families and damage communities across Staffordshire.  Alcohol and drugs are one of the main causes of crime, anti-social behaviour, ill health and domestic abuse including child protection issues.

“It is essential the county council and its partners do more to turn around people’s lives and reduce the burden on local taxpayers.  Under these new arrangements we will work smarter and closer together, spending the same amount of money but making it go even further.

“More people will get treatment with services improved and targeted to tackle the root cause of the problem.  So in addition to treating drug or alcohol addiction, people will get more targeted help to find work or housing, or to deal with breakdowns in relationships, issues that often lead to drinking or drug taking in the first place.

“Simplified contract arrangements with the new provider cut duplication and mean we can deliver more for the same amount, and deliver real value for money to the Staffordshire taxpayer.”

Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis said, “Drug and alcohol treatment is not something that organisations can tackle working in silos but rather through a joined-up approach, as seen here, which also offers value for money for Staffordshire taxpayers.

“Breaking the cycle of addiction is a key part of working with offenders and families who often have chaotic and dysfunctional lives.  By doing this, local communities will benefit as crime will reduce faster, wider and for the long term.”

A review last year revealed that partners currently ran 30 contracts for drug and alcohol treatment with 10 different providers.  The new approach streamlines arrangements into just three contracts to reduce duplication, splitting the county into north, west and east.

Following a competitive tender exercise, the contracts have been awarded to Addiction Dependency Solutions (ADS), a charity with over 30 years of experience across Staffordshire, the Midlands and the North of England.  The contracts, which are part funded by Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner and GP consortium the North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, are worth £6.7m a year.