The Facts
We all overindulge at Christmas and New Years. For an addict this can be an easy way to justify behaviors that lead to excess consumption. An increased pressure on addiction services at this time of year is inevitable.
According to the European monitoring center for drugs and drug addiction the UK is the drug overdose capital of Europe. Therefore it’s no surprise that as we enter the new year we see our addiction services struggling to keep up with demands. Deaths involving heroin and morphine are now at the highest level on record. More than double since addiction services were transferred from NHS control to local authorities in 2012.
The Figures
Since the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse was abolished in 2013 spending on drug and alcohol services has decreased by 25% in the UK. Last year official figures revealed 106 of the 152 local authorities in England are cutting £28.4m from their drug treatment budgets in 2017/18 compared with the previous year, while 95 councils are slashing £6.5m from their funds for alcohol abuse. Children’s addictions services needing help will be slashed by £8.3m by 70 city councils, the figures show.
The number of individuals needing and seeking support for addiction is increasing. It is clear that the need for better access to these services is needed. But with a decreasing level of funding what can addiction services do to manage increasing caseloads?
Halo for Addiction Services
Halo’s client management system has had great success in helping services across the UK deal with increasing demand. Bringing your clients records into one secure place improves your efficiency and saves you time, so you can spend it focusing on your clients needs. With tools to facilitate day to day actions such as an alerts for tasks due soon and an integrated calendar Halo makes everyday tasks quick and simple. Halo’s reporting also means your results are easy to understand so you know exactly where your strengths and weakness are.
Learn more about Halo for Substance Misuse
More information, facts and figures can be found on The Guardian website.
