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Adult substance misuse statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015

Adult substance misuse statistics from NDTMS

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About Public Health England

Public Health England exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and

reduce health inequalities. It does this through world-class science, knowledge and intelligence,

advocacy, partnerships and the delivery of specialist public health services. PHE is an

operationally autonomous executive agency of the Department of Health.

Public Health England

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Prepared by: Jonathan Knight

For queries relating to this document, contact: [email protected]

© Crown copyright 2015

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concerned.

You can download this publication from www.gov.uk/phe

Published December 2015

PHE publications gateway number: 2015511

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mailto:[email protected]


http://www.gov.uk/phe


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Contents About Public Health England 2

Contents 3

Executive summary 5

1. Background and policy context 8

2. Change in method of reporting alcohol and drug statistics 10

3. Assessment of quality and robustness of 2014-15 NDTMS community data 12

4. Characteristics of clients 13

4.1 Substance use profile 13

4.2 Age of clients 17

4.3 Gender of clients 19

4.4 Ethnicity of clients 20

4.5 Source of referral into treatment (new presentations) 21

4.6 Age and presenting substance (new presentations) 23

4.7 Injecting behaviour (new presentations) 25

4.8 Housing situation (new presentations) 26

5. Access to services 27

5.1 Waiting times for first and subsequent treatment interventions 27

5.2 Treatment interventions 27

5.3 Engagement 31

6. Treatment and recovery outcomes 32

6.1 Treatment exits and successful completions 32

6.2 Six-month outcomes 34

7. Trends over time 38

7.1 Trends in numbers in treatment 38

7.2 Trends in age group and presenting substances 39

7.3 Trends in club drug and new psychoactive substance (NPS) use 41

7.4 Trends in treatment exit reasons 42

7.5 Trends in waiting times for first intervention 43

8. A ten-year treatment population analysis 44

9. History 50

9.1 Relevant web links and contact details 51

9.2 Comparability of data to previous reports 52

9.3 Drug treatment collection and reporting timeline 53

9.4 Other sources of statistics about drugs 53

9.4.1 Prevalence of drug use 53

9.4.2 Young people 54


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9.4.3 Criminal justice statistics 54

9.4.4 International comparisons 55

9.4.5 Drug-related deaths 55

10. Abbreviations and definitions 56

10.1 Abbreviations 56

10.2 Definitions 56

Appendix A 60

Diagram to show flow through treatment 60

Appendix B 61

Trends in new presentations 61

Appendix C 64

Ten-year treatment population 64


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152,964

25,025 28,128

89,107

Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiateand alcohol

Alcohol only

Numbers in treatment by main substance group 2014-15

Opiate 52%

Non-opiate 8%

Non-opiate and

alcohol 10%

Alcohol only 30%

Numbers in treatment by main substance group 2014-15

Executive summary

For the first time, this report brings together information on people receiving specialist

interventions for drugs and alcohol. Because many people experience problems with both

substances and receive interventions for both, drugs and alcohol services are increasingly

commissioned together. However, while the people who seek treatment for drugs and alcohol

share many similarities they also have clear differences, so this report divides people in

treatment into the four substance groups described below.

In all, 295,224 individuals were in contact with drug and alcohol services in 2014-15. Of these,

141,646 started treatment during the year – 97% started within three weeks.

The age profile of people in treatment is rising. For example, 44% of the 152,964 people in

treatment for opiates are now 40 and over. Since 2009-10, the number of opiate users aged 40

and over starting treatment has risen by 21% (12,761 to 15,487). This ageing cohort is often in

poor health, with a range of vulnerabilities associated with long-term drug use. These people

require a wide range of support, including social care. When considering all ages, presentations

to treatment for opiates have been falling over the last six years (55,494 to 44,356), reflecting

the downward trend in prevalence of heroin use.

The number of people presenting for alcohol problems in 2014-15 was 150,640. Of these,

89,107 were treated for problematic drinking alone, and 61,533 for alcohol alongside other

substances. Alcohol only clients had an older age profile than opiate users (68% aged 40 and

over).

While the overall numbers accessing treatment for alcohol have increased by 3% since 2009-

10 (86,385 to 88,904), the number aged 40 and over accessing services has risen by 21% and

the number aged 50 and over by 44% (42,128 to 50,786, 21%, 16,627 to 24,017, 44%). Many

of these people will have been drinking at high-risk levels for some time and are likely to be

experiencing health harm such as liver disease and hypertension.


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The majority of younger people (18-24) presenting to treatment in 2014-15 cited problems with

either cannabis or cocaine (7,369, 52%, and 3,272, 23%). Most presentations for new

psychoactive substances (NPS) are also in the younger age groups, though the total number

accessing treatment for NPS remains relatively low (1,370, 0.5%). Overall, the number of

under-25s accessing treatment has fallen by 33% since 2009-10, with the largest decrease in

opiates (mainly heroin) where the numbers presenting to treatment have fallen by 60%. This

reflects a shift in the type of drug use among young adults.

Men made up 70% of the entire treatment population in 2014-15. The gender split varied

depending on the presenting substances – 73% of people using drugs were male compared to

62% presenting with alcohol only. Individuals recorded as white British made up the largest

ethnic group in treatment, (85%, 245,380) with a further 4% from other white groups.

Since 2013 the overall rate of people exiting treatment successfully has slowed. This is mainly

because the rate of opiate clients successfully completing treatment has fallen, which is likely to

be a result of those now in treatment having more entrenched drug use and long-standing and

complex problems.

In all, 130,609 people exited the drug and alcohol treatment system in 2014-15, with 52%

(67,788) having successfully completed their treatment free of dependence. Non-opiate-only

clients had the highest rates of successful exits with almost two thirds (64%) completing

treatment, followed by 61% of alcohol clients. Opiate clients had a completion rate of 30%. The

recovery rates for non-opiates and alcohol have remained higher and stable largely because

users of these substances are more likely to have access to the personal and social resources

that can aid recovery, such as employment and stable housing.

The number of people who died while in contact with services in 2014-15 was 2,360. Most of

these (61%, 1,428) were opiate clients who tended to be over 40 (median age 43) and were

likely to have been using heroin for a long time.

While not all deaths in treatment will be attributable to an individual’s substance use, the use of

drugs is a significant cause of premature mortality in the UK.1 Drug misuse deaths registered in

England and Wales between 2012 and 2014 increased by 42%, with the number now 2,120 per

year, the highest since records began in 1993.2 The number of deaths involving heroin in 2014

increased by 64% from 2012.

1 Murray, CJ, Richards, MA, Newton, JN, Fenton, KA, Anderson, HR, Atkinson, C, ... & Davis, A (2013). UK health performance: findings of the

Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. The Lancet, 381(9871), 997-1020.

2 www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/england-and-wales---2014/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning-in-

england-and-wales--2014-registrations.html.

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/england-and-wales---2014/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning-in-england-and-wales--2014-registrations.html



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Among those accessing treatment for alcohol only problems, there were 792 deaths. Again the

majority were aged 40 and over, (median age 49). Users of other substances made up the

remaining deaths, with the lowest number of deaths seen among users of non-opiates (39

deaths), the lowest median age (35 years) was also seen in this population.

The drug-related death rate among people in treatment is significantly lower than among those

who are not in treatment.3

3 White, M, Burton, R, Darke, S, Eastwood, B, Knight, J, Millar, T, Musto, V & Marsden, J (2015). Fatal opioid poisoning: a counterfactual model

to estimate the preventive effect of treatment for opioid use disorder in England. Addiction, 110, 1321-1329.


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1. Background and policy context

The statistics in this report on treatment for alcohol and drug dependence are collected through

the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). This publication is the first time

information on individuals receiving specialist interventions for drugs and alcohol are brought

together in one report. In doing so it recognises that people may experience problems with the

use of many substances, including alcohol and may well require treatment to address issues of

dependence together. It also reflects a growing trend for local authorities to commission drugs

and alcohol services together.

Specialist treatment services are vital component parts of local authority treatment and

recovery systems. Treatment services have a key part to play in helping local authorities

address the harms associated with alcohol and drug use, including to health, families and

communities, along with the associated crime. The government’s drug and alcohol strategies

stress the importance of treatment services in reducing both the harm and public expense

caused by problematic use (www.gov.uk/government/publications/drug-strategy-2010--2,

www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-strategy).

Specialist treatment is one of a range of interventions that need to be in place to address

alcohol and drug problems effectively – to reduce harm and to help people recover. Others

include alcohol identification and brief advice (IBA); information and advice on reducing harm;

needle and syringe exchange programmes; outreach work and support along with broader but

related support such as access to housing and employment opportunities. Such interventions

are provided in a range of settings including specialist services, general practice, pharmacies,

hospitals and prisons, and by a range of providers – the NHS and the voluntary sector. Local

authorities, who are responsible for commissioning treatment services, are well placed to bring

the component parts of an effective system together, along with the NHS, to ensure all

elements work together for the good of their populations.

Alcohol and drug treatment services are now well established in communities across the

country and over the past decade the number of people accessing help has increased

considerably, as has the proportion recovering from their dependence. Evidence-based and

effective interventions can improve the lives of individuals and the life chances of their children

and the stability of their communities. They also have a significant impact in reducing the

spread of blood-borne viruses, in reducing crime and in saving lives. The harmful effects of

alcohol and drugs are greater in poorer communities and effective treatment services can play

an important role in addressing these inequalities.

These statistics are used by national and local government to monitor the availability and

effectiveness of alcohol and drug treatment in England. The information is collected from

approximately 1,500 treatment services on a monthly basis. This data is regularly fed back to

local service commissioners and service providers in the form of benchmarked reports, toolkits

and data packs to inform local joint strategic needs assessments.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drug-strategy-2010--2

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-strategy


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These resources are integral in assisting local areas to respond to need and improve

outcomes. They can help local authorities ensure that the services they commission are

effective and good value for money within the context of competing local priorities.

Information on the total number of people in alcohol and drug treatment in each local authority

in England, the numbers accessing it each year, and the numbers leaving treatment can be

found at www.ndtms.net/default.aspx.

While these statistics provide information on the numbers of people accessing treatment for

alcohol dependence, they do not give an indication of prevalence of alcohol dependence in

England. PHE will be releasing prevalence estimates of dependent drinkers in each local

authority in early 2016.

For information on the wider harms associated with alcohol use, the Local Alcohol Profiles for

England (LAPE) fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/local-alcohol-profiles present a comprehensive

picture of different health harms for alcohol related conditions, as well as information on

mortality where alcohol is considered to have been a contributory factor.

Similarly for drugs, estimates of the number of individuals using opiates, crack and injecting

drugs in England, reported nationally and by local authority, can be found at

www.nta.nhs.uk/facts-prevalence.aspx. The Crime Survey for England and Wales reports the

prevalence of the use of all drugs nationally and can be found at

www.crimesurvey.co.uk/index.html.

Information on the history of the data collection of specialist drug treatment can be found in

chapter nine of this report and chapter ten provides an explanation of the abbreviations that

have been used throughout the report.

More detail on the methodologies used to compile these statistics and the processes that are in

place to ensure data quality can be found at /www.ndtms.net/resources/secure/Quality-and-

Methodology-NDTMS-2014-15.pdf.

If an error is identified in any of the information that has been included in this report then the

processes described in the PHE revisions and correction policy will be adhered to. The policy

can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england/about/statistics.

https://www.ndtms.net/default.aspx

http://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/local-alcohol-profiles

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/facts-prevalence.aspx

http://www.crimesurvey.co.uk/index.html

http://www.ndtms.net/resources/secure/Quality-and-Methodology-NDTMS-2014-15.pdf

http://www.ndtms.net/resources/secure/Quality-and-Methodology-NDTMS-2014-15.pdf

http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england/about/statistics


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CLIENT CLASSIFICATION

Has client presented to treatment citing opiates as a problem substance?

Has client presentedto treatment citing non-

opiates as a problem substance?

NO

Has client presented to treatment citing alcohol as a problem substance?

YES

OPIATE CLIENT

YES

NON-OPIATE ONLY CLIENT

NON-OPIATE AND ALCOHOL

CLIENT

ALCOHOL ONLY CLIENT

NO

YES

NO

CLIENT ENTERS TREATMENT

2. Change in method of reporting alcohol

and drug statistics

In 2012-13 the National Treatment Agency (NTA) consulted on changes to reporting practices

and there was strong consensus among respondents that drug and alcohol treatment journeys

should be combined. Previously, an individual recorded with a primary alcohol treatment

episode concurrent with, or followed by, a primary drug one was reported twice, once as an

alcohol client and once as a drug client. Some 6,000 individuals nationally had been double

counted in this way.

Following this feedback, the newly formed PHE consulted further to align the way treatment

journeys were reported across alcohol and drug treatment, and the way individuals were

categorised by their problem substances. The agreed methodological changes are illustrated in

the diagram below.


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A client presenting to treatment citing problematic substance misuse is now categorised by the

following hierarchal criteria:

any mention of opiate use in any episode would result in the client being categorised as

an OPIATE client (irrespective of what other substances are cited)

clients who present with non-opiate substances (and not opiates or alcohol) will be

classified as NON-OPIATE ONLY

clients who present with a non-opiate substance and alcohol (but not opiates) recorded in

any drug in any episode in their treatment journeys will be classified as NON-OPIATE

AND ALCOHOL

clients who present with alcohol and no other substances will be categorised as

ALCOHOL ONLY

Due to these changes it is not possible to compare the statistics in this report to previous adult

drug and alcohol NDTMS statistical publications for more detail see section 9.2.

Additional changes were also consulted on at the same time and subsequently agreed and

implemented. The age limit for clients has been extended to 100 to reflect the increasing age of

the general treatment population, in particular those citing alcohol only as a problematic

substance.

Individuals not citing any problematic substance (known as misuse free) are excluded from

these statistics as the codes "drug-free" and "alcohol-free" were initially introduced to report on

abstinent clients who were in structured treatment to prevent relapse. These were since

removed from the valid drug codes a number of years ago with guidance being that the drug

the individual was in relapse prevention for should be recorded.

Prescribed opiates are also now included in the opiate category where previously they would

have been classified as non-opiate only or non-opiate and alcohol. These changes have also

been applied to all trend data in this report.

The consultation summary can be found here:

www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/feedback-from-the-online-consultation-regarding-methodology-for-

drug-and-alcohol-treatment-reporting-from-ndtms.pdf.

More information on the consultation can be found here:

www.nta.nhs.uk/new-reporting-methodology.aspx.

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/feedback-from-the-online-consultation-regarding-methodology-for-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-reporting-from-ndtms.pdf

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/feedback-from-the-online-consultation-regarding-methodology-for-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-reporting-from-ndtms.pdf

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/new-reporting-methodology.aspx


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3. Assessment of quality and robustness

of 2014-15 NDTMS community data

Data collection through NDTMS was suspended between November 2014 and February 2015

(a period of four months), to introduce security enhancements into the system.

The system was fully restored in March 2015. Providers were given up until the end of July to

submit and validate data entered locally during the downtime, as well as to catch up with any

backlog of data that they may have not been able to record while the systems were suspended.

PHE worked closely with all providers of drug and alcohol treatment through eight regional

based teams to support this process.

While the NDTMS closure was unscheduled, it was possible to ensure that the downtime was

well managed and coordinated. Through the commitment and goodwill of the treatment

providers, PHE were able to ensure that any risks to the provision of a complete 2014-15

dataset were minimised.

The intelligence gathered by PHE NDTMS teams as part of their support of treatment providers

suggests that data collected for 2014-15 is reflective of activity and that all appropriate

measures were put in place locally to ensure full data recovery. There is no current evidence

that the downtime had any adverse long term effects on quality or compliance. More detailed

information can be found at

www.nta.nhs.uk/UKSA-data-quality-asssessment-2014-15.aspx

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/UKSA-data-quality-asssessment-2014-15.aspx


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152,964

25,025 28,128

89,107

Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiateand alcohol

Alcohol only

Opiate 52% Non-

opiate 8%

Non-opiate and

alcohol 10%

Alcohol only 30%

4. Characteristics of clients

During 2014-15 NDTMS reported a total of 295,224 individuals aged 18 to 100 in contact with

structured treatment. This total includes all individuals in treatment for either problematic drug

use, alcohol use or both. Figure 4 below presents how the 295,224 individuals are segmented

by the four substance groups used throughout this report. Just over half the clients in contact

with treatment during the year (52%) had presented with problematic use of opiates, a further

18% had presented with problems with other drugs and just under a third (30%) had presented

with alcohol as the only problematic substance.

Figure 4 Numbers in treatment by main substance group 2014-15

4.1 Substance use profile

Table 4.1.1 and figure 4.1.1 show the distribution of substances for all individuals in treatment

in 2014-15, by the four substance groups used within this report.

Forty per cent of opiate clients also presented with crack cocaine, the next highest adjunctive

substances were alcohol (22%), cannabis (19%) and benzodiazepines (12%). Cannabis was

the substance that the majority of non-opiate only clients presented to treatment (62%) with,

this was followed by 31% of clients presenting with cocaine and 17% with amphetamines.

Cannabis was also the drug that the majority of non-opiate and alcohol clients presented with to

treatment (60%), with 39% of clients presenting with cocaine and 11% with amphetamines.

Overall, 51% of clients in treatment in 2014-15 presented with problematic alcohol use, 89,107

of these individuals presented with alcohol alone, with the other 61,533 individuals also

reporting problematic use of other substances.


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0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Opia

te (

not cra

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Bo

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Cannab

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Be

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Alc

ohol

Opiate

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Cra

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not

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Cannab

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Novel psychoactive

sub

sta

nces

Hallu

cin

ogen

Non-opiate

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Cra

ck c

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e (

not

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Cannab

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Cocain

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Be

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Alc

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Non-opiate and alcohol

0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%

70%80%90%

100%O

pia

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not cra

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Bo

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Alc

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Total

Figure 4.1.1 Substance breakdown of all clients in treatment 2014-15


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Table 4.1.1 Substance breakdown of all clients in treatment 2014-15

Substance Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate and alcohol

Alcohol only Total

n % n % n % n % n %

Opiate and/or crack cocaine use

Opiate (not crack cocaine)

91,530 60% - - - - - - 91,530 31%

Both opiate and crack cocaine

61,434 40% - - - - - - 61,434 21%

Crack cocaine (not opiate)

- - 2,178 9% 2,449 9% - - 4,627 2%

Other drug use

Cannabis 29,568 19% 15,425 62% 16,809 60% - - 61,802 21%

Cocaine 8,896 6% 7,822 31% 11,039 39% - - 27,757 9%

Benzodiazepine 19,017 12% 1,515 6% 1,314 5% - - 21,846 7%

Amphetamine (other than ecstasy)

7,666 5% 4,160 17% 3,110 11% - - 14,936 5%

Other drug 1,917 1% 1,370 5% 764 3% - - 4,051 1%

Hallucinogen 403 0% 618 2% 347 1% - - 1,368 0%

Other prescription drug 488 0% 121 0% 148 1% - - 757 0%

Anti-depressant 437 0% 37 0% 143 1% - - 617 0%

Solvent 137 0% 104 0% 133 0% - - 374 0%

Major tranquiliser 112 0% 25 0% 25 0% - - 162 0%

Barbiturate 78 0% 10 0% 19 0% - - 107 0%

Alcohol

Alcohol 33,405 22% - - 28,128 100% 89,107 100% 150,640 51%

Total number of individuals *

152,964 100% 25,025 100% 28,128 100% 89,107 100% 295,224 100%

*The total number of individuals will be less than the sum of the reported substances as an individual may present with more than one

problematic substance

**Percentages may equal 0% or not sum to 100% due to rounding

Table 4.1.2 presents a breakdown of substances that are categorised under a heading of ‘club

drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS)’, a collective term for a number of different

substances typically used by people in bars and nightclubs, at concerts and parties, before and

after a night out. Mephedrone citations make up the largest proportion of club drug/NPS

presentations for all individuals in treatment in 2014-15 (1.0%), with 6% of non-opiate clients

citing the substance and 0.4% of opiate clients.

The second most common club drug cited was ecstasy (0.7%) followed by new psychoactive

substances (0.5%). When NPS are broken down, the majority of presentations were for NPS

that had cannabinoid or stimulant effects.


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Table 4.1.2 Club drug and new psychoactive substances breakdown of all clients in treatment 2014-15

Club drug and new psychoactive

substances Opiate Non-opiate


Total

n % n % n % n %

Mephedrone 662 0.4% 1,492 6.0% 894 3.2% 3,048 1.0%

Ecstasy 468 0.3% 967 3.9% 774 2.8% 2,209 0.7%

New psychoactive substances 328 0.2% 668 2.7% 374 1.3% 1,370 0.5%

Ketamine 270 0.2% 499 2.0% 261 0.9% 1,030 0.3%

Methamphetamine 81 0.1% 289 1.2% 89 0.3% 459 0.2%

GHB/GBL 33 0.0% 320 1.3% 83 0.3% 436 0.1%

Further breakdown of new psychoactive substances:

Predominantly cannabinoid 121 0.1% 266 1.1% 126 0.4% 513 0.2%

Predominantly stimulant 88 0.1% 214 0.9% 126 0.4% 428 0.1%

Other 88 0.1% 138 0.6% 86 0.3% 312 0.1%

Predominantly sedative/opioid 30 0.0% 25 0.1% 16 0.1% 71 0.0%

Predominantly hallucinogenic 8 0.0% 41 0.2% 19 0.1% 68 0.0%

Predominantly dissociative 2 0.0% 16 0.1% 10 0.0% 28 0.0%

Total 152,964 100% 25,025 100% 28,128 100% 295,224 100%

*Percentages may equal 0% or not sum to 100% due to rounding


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4.2 Age of clients

The age of individuals at their first point of contact with the treatment system in the 2014-15

financial year is reported in table 4.2.1 and figure 4.2.1. The median age (the middle number in

an ascending list of all ages) of non-opiate clients in treatment in 2014-15 was 29 years, slightly

younger than the median age for non-opiate and alcohol clients, 34 years. Opiate clients were

older, with a median age of 38 years, but still younger than the projected median age for the

population of England, which is 39 years (ONS mid-year population 2013). Only the alcohol

only clients have a median age (45 years) older than the general population

(www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-322718).

Similarly, individuals in treatment only presenting with problematic alcohol use (alcohol only)

have the oldest age distribution, with 68% of clients in treatment being 40 years and over and

11% 60 years and over.

Individuals are most likely to start using drugs in their late teens and early twenties and, on

average, seek treatment within eight years of initiation of their use. Non-opiates clients, both

those who have presented with alcohol and those just using non-opiates, tend to be younger

than individuals that have presented with opiates.

The distribution of ages of individuals in treatment reflects patterns seen in estimates of

prevalence. A large proportion of heroin/opiate users in treatment in 2014-15 will have started

using heroin in the epidemics of the 1980s and 1990s and are now over 40 years of age,

having been using heroin for a significantly long period of time.

Those who use other substances tend to be younger, as can be seen in figures 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4

in the 2014-15 Crime Survey for England and Wales. This survey shows that cannabis, ecstasy

and powder cocaine are the most commonly used substances for 16-24 year olds with, for

example, 16.3% having used cannabis in the last year (compared to 6.7% for the general

population aged 16-59).

(www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/462885/drug-misuse-

1415.pdf).

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-322718

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/462885/drug-misuse-1415.pdf



18

Table 4.2.1 Age of all clients in treatment 2014-15

Age Opiate Non-opiate


Alcohol only Total

n % n % n % n % n %

18 158 0% 1,234 5% 975 3% 262 0% 2,629 1%

19 281 0% 1,014 4% 577 2% 278 0% 2,150 1%

20-24 4,910 3% 5,537 22% 3,707 13% 2,773 3% 16,927 6%

25-29 15,597 10% 5,310 21% 4,843 17% 5,775 6% 31,525 11%

30-34 31,198 20% 4,204 17% 4,779 17% 8,739 10% 48,920 17%

35-39 34,176 22% 2,879 12% 3,990 14% 10,722 12% 51,767 18%

40-44 29,598 19% 2,007 8% 3,624 13% 14,140 16% 49,369 17%

45-49 20,233 13% 1,398 6% 2,912 10% 15,023 17% 39,566 13%

50-54 10,142 7% 740 3% 1,682 6% 12,971 15% 25,535 9%

55-59 4,174 3% 334 1% 725 3% 8,708 10% 13,941 5%

60-64 1,869 1% 159 1% 231 1% 5,178 6% 7,437 3%

65-69 493 0% 86 0% 54 0% 2,865 3% 3,498 1%

70+ 135 0% 123 0% 29 0% 1,673 2% 1,960 1%

Total 152,964 100% 25,025 100% 28,128 100% 89,107 100% 295,224 100%


Figure 4.2.1 Age distribution of all clients in treatment 2014-15

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

18 19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70+

Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate and alcohol Alcohol only


19

4.3 Gender of clients

Table 4.3.1 presents the gender distribution for all clients in treatment, segmented by the four

substance groups. Overall 30% of individuals in treatment are women, compared to 51% of the

population in England (www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-

tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-286262).

The three drug groups, opiate, non-opiate and non-opiate and alcohol have a very similar

distribution with about three quarters of each group being male. This is broadly comparable

with figures reported in 2014-15 Crime Survey for England and Wales where 11.9% of males

aged 16 to 59 had taken an illicit drug in the last year, compared to 5.4% of females

(www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/462885/drug-misuse-

1415.pdf).

Among those in treatment for alcohol problems only, males made up a lower proportion (62%).

Table 4.3.1 Gender of all clients in treatment 2014-15

Male Female Persons

n % n % n %

Opiate 111,779 73% 41,185 27% 152,964 100%

Non-opiate 18,867 75% 6,158 25% 25,025 100%

Non-opiate and alcohol 20,679 74% 7,449 26% 28,128 100%

Alcohol only 54,973 62% 34,134 38% 89,107 100%

Total 206,298 70% 88,926 30% 295,224 100%






20

4.4 Ethnicity of clients

Table 4.4.1 reports the ethnicity of clients in treatment in 2014-15. Where reported, most

individuals (85%) were white British compared to 80% of the English population,4 ranging from

87% of alcohol only presentations to 79% of non-opiate clients. Other white was the next most

common ethnicity, (4%) compared to 5% of the English population. No other ethnic group

accounted for more than 2% of the total cohort. Within the non-opiate substance group, 3% of

individuals had an ethnicity of Caribbean, compared to the other substance groups and the

English population where the proportion is 1%.

Table 4.4.1 Ethnicity of all clients in treatment 2014-15

Ethnicity Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate and alcohol

Alcohol only Total

n % n % n % n % n %

White British 126,646 86% 19,516 79% 23,220 85% 75,998 87% 245,380 85%

Other white 5,920 4% 832 3% 737 3% 2,979 3% 10,468 4%

Not stated 1,487 1% 600 2% 349 1% 2,188 2% 4,624 2%

White Irish 1,512 1% 213 1% 361 1% 1,317 2% 3,403 1%

Indian 1,686 1% 192 1% 213 1% 1,135 1% 3,226 1%

Caribbean 1,221 1% 696 3% 528 2% 530 1% 2,975 1%

White and black Caribbean 1,330 1% 458 2% 408 1% 425 0% 2,621 1%

Pakistani 1,691 1% 325 1% 176 1% 268 0% 2,460 1%

Other Asian 1,404 1% 235 1% 137 0% 550 1% 2,326 1%

Other 1,305 1% 224 1% 186 1% 511 1% 2,226 1%

Other black 854 1% 437 2% 372 1% 412 0% 2,075 1%

African 391 0% 434 2% 290 1% 570 1% 1,685 1%

Other mixed 706 0% 256 1% 200 1% 271 0% 1,433 0%

Bangladeshi 1,078 1% 147 1% 58 0% 82 0% 1,365 0%

White and Asian 418 0% 92 0% 80 0% 163 0% 753 0%

White and black African 252 0% 88 0% 98 0% 154 0% 592 0%

Chinese 49 0% 14 0% 15 0% 31 0% 109 0%

Unknown 5 0% 1 0% 1 0% 1 0% 8 0%

Total 147,955 100% 24,760 100% 27,429 100% 87,585 100% 287,729 100%

Inconsistent/missing 5,009 265 699 1,522 7,495

Total 152,964 25,025 28,128 89,107 295,224


4 For ethnicity data please see: 2011 Census: KS201EW Ethnic group, local authorities in England and Wales

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-286262

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/rft-table-ks201ew.xls



21

4.5 Source of referral into treatment (new presentations)

Table 4.5.1 shows a breakdown of new presentations to treatment by source of referral (ie, the

routes by which people accessed treatment). Information about source of referral was provided

for 140,306 (99%) of all new presentations to treatment in 2014-15. Of all recorded referral

sources, self-referrals were the most common for all individuals and within the four substance

groups (ranging from 48% for non-opiate clients to 45% for alcohol only clients).

For alcohol only clients, the next most common referral source was through health services

(33%). This was made up of GP referrals (20%), hospital (6%), social services (2%) and other

health services (5%).

In comparison health services only accounted for 10% of opiate client referrals. The criminal

justice system was the second most common referral source for opiate clients (28%), made up

of prison/CARAT referrals (14%), arrest referrals/DIP (8%), probation (3%) and other criminal

justice system referral routes (2%). By contrast, only 8% of referrals for alcohol only clients

were from the criminal justice system.

Overall, substance misuse services accounted for 9% of referrals into treatment (ranging from

5% for non-opiate clients to 12% for opiate clients).

A further breakdown of referral routes into treatment can be found in the supporting tables.


22

Table 4.5.1 Source of referral into treatment, new presentations to treatment 2014-15

Referral Source Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate and alcohol

Alcohol only Total

n % n % n % n % n %

Self, family and friends

Self 20,572 47% 8,191 48% 8,522 46% 27,335 45% 64,620 46%

Other family and friends 176 0% 236 1% 240 1% 623 1% 1,275 1%

Self, family and friends subtotal

20,748 47% 8,427 49% 8,762 48% 27,958 46% 65,895 47%

Health

GP 2,884 7% 1,333 8% 2,112 11% 11,950 20% 18,279 13%

Health – other 698 2% 807 5% 870 5% 3,175 5% 5,550 4%

Hospital 449 1% 147 1% 407 2% 3,722 6% 4,725 3%

Social services 213 0% 524 3% 384 2% 1,104 2% 2,225 2%

Health subtotal 4,244 10% 2,811 16% 3,773 20% 19,951 33% 30,779 22%

Criminal justice

Arrest referral/DIP 3,640 8% 1,612 9% 1,042 6% 883 1% 7,177 5%

CARAT/Prison 6,291 14% 304 2% 239 1% 268 0% 7,102 5%

Probation 1,326 3% 1,119 7% 1,129 6% 2,063 3% 5,637 4%

Criminal justice – other 1,012 2% 697 4% 659 4% 1,405 2% 3,773 3%

Criminal justice subtotal 12,269 28% 3,732 22% 3,069 17% 4,619 8% 23,689 17%

Substance misuse service

Drug service non-statutory 3,058 7% 522 3% 665 4% 1,929 3% 6,174 4%

Drug service statutory 2,222 5% 300 2% 470 3% 1,322 2% 4,314 3%

Community alcohol team 97 0% 8 0% 256 1% 1,981 3% 2,342 2%

Substance misuse service subtotal

5,377 12% 830 5% 1,391 8% 5,232 9% 12,830 9%

Other 1,142 3% 1,370 8% 1,440 8% 3,163 5% 7,115 5%

Total 43,780 100% 17,170 100% 18,435 100% 60,923 100% 140,308 100%

Missing or unknown 576

168

113

481

1,338

Total 44,356

17,338

18,548

61,404

141,646



23

4.6 Age and presenting substance (new presentations)

Table 4.6.1 shows the substance distribution for individuals presenting to treatment in 2014-15,

reported by the four substance groups. Forty-two per cent of opiate new presentations also

presented with crack cocaine, the next highest adjunctive substance alongside opiate use, was

alcohol (20%). For non-opiate only clients, the majority of individuals cited cannabis as a

problematic substance (61%), this was followed by just under a third (32%) of non-opiate

clients presenting with cocaine.

Cannabis was also the main drug non-opiate and alcohol clients presented with, 58% having

done so, with cocaine the next most cited substance (41%).

Overall, 63% (88,904) of individuals starting treatment in 2014-15 presented with problematic

alcohol use, of these 61,404 cited alcohol as the only problematic substance. The next most

commonly cited substance was opiates (31%), followed by cannabis which was cited by 20% of

individuals.

Table 4.6.1 Substance breakdown of new presentations to treatment 2014-15

Substance Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate and alcohol

Alcohol only Total

n % n % n % n % n %


Opiate (not crack cocaine) 25,799 58% - - - - - - 25,799 18%


18,557 42% - - - - - - 18,557 13%

Crack cocaine (not opiate) - - 1,414 8% 1,471 8% - - 2,885 2%

Other drug use

Cannabis 7,205 16% 10,630 61% 10,837 58% - - 28,672 20%

Cocaine 2,154 5% 5,627 32% 7,678 41% - - 15,459 11%


1,985 4% 2,852 16% 1,916 10% - - 6,753 5%

Benzodiazepine 3,938 9% 917 5% 749 4% - - 5,604 4%

Other 1,168 3% 2,711 16% 1,681 9% - - 5,560 4%

Alcohol

Alcohol 8,952 20% - - 18,548 100% 61,404 100% 88,904 63%

Total number of individuals*

44,356 100% 17,338 100% 18,548 100% 61,404 100% 141,646 100%

*The number of individuals will be less than the total of the reported substances as an individual may present with more than one problematic

substance


24

Table 4.6.2 and figure 4.6.1 report the distribution of the substances by age for new

presentations to treatment in 2014-15.

For younger clients presenting to treatment (those aged 18-24), the main substances cited

were cannabis (52%, 7,369), alcohol (44%, 6,290) and cocaine (23%, 3,272), with only 19%

(2,729) have presented using opiates.

The percentage of individuals presenting with problems with alcohol use increased with age,

with 66% (13,376 of those aged 40-44 citing alcohol as problematic and 93% (3,756) of those

age 60-64.

A further breakdown of clients aged 18-24 can be found in the supporting tables.

Table 4.6.2 Age and presenting substance of new presentations to treatment 2014-15

Substance 18-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65+ Total



1,718 3,677 5,625 5,427 4,386 2,793 1,357 507 208 101 25,799

12% 21% 25% 25% 21% 16% 11% 7% 5% 3% 18%


1,011 2,778 4,495 4,138 3,072 1,904 831 225 76 27 18,557

7% 16% 20% 19% 15% 11% 7% 3% 2% 1% 13%


292 512 572 520 397 288 177 95 21 11 2,885

2% 3% 3% 2% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 0% 2%

Other drug use

Cannabis 7,369 5,364 4,812 3,830 3,075 2,321 1,218 499 143 41 28,672

52% 30% 21% 18% 15% 13% 10% 7% 4% 1% 20%

Cocaine 3,272 3,814 3,295 2,181 1,405 873 430 126 46 17 15,459

23% 21% 15% 10% 7% 5% 3% 2% 1% 0% 11%

Benzodiazepine 535 840 1,211 1,153 865 504 261 84 57 94 5,604

4% 5% 5% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 1% 3% 4%


1,271 1,303 1,335 1,114 825 551 245 77 23 9 6,753

9% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 1% 0% 5%

Other 1,702 1,045 874 614 554 393 185 94 41 58 5,560

12% 6% 4% 3% 3% 2% 1% 1% 1% 2% 4%

Alcohol

Alcohol 6,290 8,629 11,248 11,951 13,736 13,033 10,376 6,489 3,756 3,396 88,904

44% 48% 50% 55% 66% 75% 83% 90% 93% 93% 63%

Total number of individuals*

14,178 17,866 22,417 21,544 20,769 17,452 12,470 7,241 4,060 3,649 141,646

*The number of individuals will be less than the total of the reported substances as an individual may present with more than one problematic

substance



25

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

18-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65+

Opiate or opiate and crack cocaine Cannabis Cocaine Other Alcohol

Figure 4.6.1 Age and presenting substance distribution of new presentations to treatment 2014-15

4.7 Injecting behaviour (new presentations)

Injecting status at presentation for treatment was recorded for 134,685 individuals (95%) who

entered treatment in 2014-15. The majority of individuals presenting to treatment have never

injected (76%), though there was variation by substance with 96% of alcohol only clients having

never injected any substance compared to 38% of opiate clients. Just over a quarter (26%) of

individuals using opiates were currently injecting, compared to 3% and 1% in the non-opiate

and non-opiate and alcohol clients respectively. The majority of non-opiate clients who inject

are likely to be individuals using methamphetamine and mephedrone.

Sharing of injecting equipment is the single biggest factor in blood-borne virus transmission

among individuals who use and inject drugs. It also elevates mortality risk and those who inject

have a more complex profile, and are therefore harder to treat.


26

Table 4.7.1 Injecting status of new presentations to treatment 2014-15

Injecting Status Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate and alcohol

Alcohol only Total

n % n % n % n % n %

Never injected 16,593 38% 14,909 89% 16,195 90% 54,361 96% 102,058 76%

Previously injected 15,632 36% 1,197 7% 1,474 8% 1,696 3% 19,999 15%

Currently injecting 11,372 26% 522 3% 223 1% 127 0% 12,244 9%

Declined to answer 137 0% 46 0% 32 0% 169 0% 384 0%

Total 43,734 100% 16,674 100% 17,924 100% 56,353 100% 134,685 100%

Missing/inconsistent 622 664 624 5,051 6,961

Total 44,356 17,338 18,548 61,404 141,646


4.8 Housing situation (new presentations)

Table 4.8.1 presents the housing status of individuals at the time that they presented for

treatment. Of the 137,765 individuals (97%) who provided their housing status, 7% reported an

urgent housing problem, usually No Fixed Abode (NFA), with a further 12% reporting some

form of current housing problem (such as staying with friends or family as a short term guest or

residing at a short-term hostel). Opiate clients had the highest rates of urgent housing problems

(12%) and alcohol only clients the least (3%), reflecting the generally more chaotic nature of

individuals presenting to treatment for opiates compared to those presenting with alcohol only.

Table 4.8.1 Housing situation of new presentations to treatment 2014-15

Housing situation Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate and alcohol

Alcohol only Total

n % n % n % n % n %

No problem 31,232 72% 13,569 80% 14,000 77% 52,253 88% 111,054 81%

Housing problem 6,672 15% 1,841 11% 2,460 13% 5,036 8% 16,009 12%

Urgent housing problem (NFA) 5,358 12% 725 4% 1,105 6% 1,867 3% 9,055 7%

Other 61 0% 723 4% 683 4% 180 0% 1,647 1%

Total 43,323 100% 16,858 100% 18,248 100% 59,336 100% 137,765 100%

Inconsistent/missing 1,033 480 300 2,068 3,881

Total 44,356 17,338 18,548 61,404 141,646



27

5. Access to services

5.1 Waiting times for first and subsequent treatment interventions

Overall, nearly all individuals (97%) waited three weeks or less from when they first presented

for treatment to starting an intervention. There was marginal variation in waiting times between

the four substance groups. Similarly, for individuals that started a subsequent intervention, the

vast majority (96%) did so within three weeks. The average (mean) waiting time for all

individuals was 3.3 days, this ranged from 2.4 days for opiate clients to 4.2 days for alcohol

only clients.

Table 5.1.1 Waiting times, first and subsequent interventions 2014-15

Intervention

First intervention Subsequent intervention

3 weeks or under

Over 3 weeks Average

waiting time 3 weeks or

under Over 3 weeks

n % n % days n % n %

Opiate 64,152 98% 1,312 2% 2.4 83,483 97% 2,783 3%

Non-opiate 17,599 98% 392 2% 2.8 1,919 97% 53 3%

Non-opiate and alcohol 18,648 96% 722 4% 3.7 6,679 92% 601 8%

Alcohol only 60,593 95% 2,938 5% 4.2 20,599 93% 1,608 7%

Total 160,992 97% 5,364 3% 3.3 112,680 96% 5,045 4%

5.2 Treatment interventions

As part of a treatment journey, an individual may receive more than one intervention (ie, more

than one type of treatment) while being treated at a provider and may attend more than one

provider for subsequent interventions.

Before 1 November 2012 there were six structured treatment intervention types. However, from

1 November 2012 the way in which interventions were recorded on NDTMS was changed to

include three high-level intervention types: psychosocial, pharmacological and recovery

support, an intervention setting and a series of sub-interventions.

Table 5.2.1 shows the number of clients who received each intervention in their latest treatment

journey for individuals receiving interventions that commenced prior to 1 November 2012.

Individuals are only counted once for each intervention type they received.


28

Table 5.2.1 Interventions received by clients in treatment 2014-15, old interventions

Intervention n

Inpatient detoxification 3,907

Structured day programme 8,914

Residential rehabilitation 1,097

Structured intervention 24,671

Old YP intervention 68

Table 5.2.2 provides information on interventions commenced after the changes to the core

dataset introduced on 1 November 2012 (see section 9.2 for more detail on this change). It

shows the number of clients who received interventions starting on or after 1 November 2012

based on the new intervention codes and intervention setting. If an individuals’ intervention

features in table 5.2.2, and can be directly mapped between tables, it is not featured in table

5.2.1 above to avoid double counting.


29

Table 5.2.2 Interventions received by clients in treatment 2014-15, new interventions

Substance group

Setting

Intervention type

Total* Psychosocial Prescribing

n % n %

Opiate

Community 131,765 93% 131,970 92% 144,940

Inpatient unit 4,680 3% 5,918 4% 6,102

Primary care 17,861 13% 32,581 23% 33,615

Residential 2,919 2% 1,363 1% 3,082

Recovery house 176 0% 51 0% 190

Missing 2 0% 1 0% 2

Other 4,196 3% 13,498 9% 15,092

Total 141,841 100% 143,726 100% 152,964

Non-opiate

Community 23,622 97% 1,989 90% 23,789

Inpatient unit 88 0% 102 5% 111

Primary care 608 2% 181 8% 714

Residential 163 1% 21 1% 167


Missing 43 0% 1 0% 43

Other 40 0% 33 1% 62

Total 24,378 100% 2,218 100% 25,025


Community 26,432 97% 3,020 64% 26,576

Inpatient unit 1,198 4% 1,544 33% 1,583

Primary care 558 2% 294 6% 727

Residential 1,297 5% 382 8% 1,347


Missing 32 0% 2 0% 33

Other 76 0% 16 0% 88

Total 27,369 100% 4,734 100% 28,128

Alcohol only

Community 80,706 95% 13,452 67% 81,580

Inpatient unit 4,153 5% 5,806 29% 6,037

Primary care 3,209 4% 1,420 7% 3,972

Residential 2,256 3% 929 5% 2,414


Missing 4 0% 0 0% 4

Other 41 0% 9 0% 49

Total 84,844 100% 20,135 100% 89,107

Total

Community 262,525 94% 150,431 88% 276,885

Inpatient unit 10,119 4% 13,370 8% 13,833

Primary care 22,236 8% 34,476 20% 39,028

Residential 6,635 2% 2,695 2% 7,010


Missing 81 0% 4 0% 82

Other 4,353 2% 13,556 8% 15,291

Total 278,432 100% 170,813 100% 295,224

*This is the total number of individuals receiving each intervention type and not a summation of the psychosocial and prescribing columns.



30

Data from tables 5.2.1 and 5.2.2 can be summed where overlap in definition exists to arrive at

the total number of individuals receiving each intervention in 2014-15. No overlap exists for

structured day programmes or other structured interventions thus the total number of clients

can only be reported up to the 31 October 2012.

A count of the total number of individuals by setting / intervention where it is possible to sum

the overlap between tables 5.2.1 and 5.2.2, can be found in table 5.2.3 below.

Table 5.2.3 Total individuals in settings (overlap between 5.2.1 and 5.2.2)

Setting Total number of individuals

Inpatient unit 17,740

Residential 8,107

Table 5.2.4 below provides a breakdown of clients receiving a prescribing intervention, by the

length of time that they had been in receipt of it either when they exited treatment during the

year, or at the 31 March 2015.

Just under half of individuals (48%) had been in receipt of prescriptions for less than 12

months, with variation between substance groups (40% for opiate clients to 94% for alcohol

only clients). Nearly a quarter of opiate clients (24%) received prescribing treatment for over

five years compared to less than 1% for those receiving interventions for alcohol only.

The majority of individuals will either be receiving prescriptions as part of opiate substitution

therapy or to enable safe withdrawal from alcohol dependence. Those receiving scripts to help

with relapse prevention will make up the majority all of the remaining prescriptions.

Table 5.2.4 Length of time in prescribing for clients in continuous prescribing treatment 2014-15

Opiate Non-opiate


Alcohol only Total

n % n % n % n % n %

Less than 12 months 57,230 40% 1,634 74% 4,282 90% 18,986 94% 82,132 48%

1-2 years 22,829 16% 242 11% 278 6% 857 4% 24,206 14%

2-3 years 13,212 9% 99 4% 80 2% 173 1% 13,564 8%

3-4 years 8,368 6% 63 3% 31 1% 67 0% 8,529 5%

4-5 years 7,468 5% 23 1% 16 0% 24 0% 7,531 4%

5 years + 34,619 24% 157 7% 47 1% 28 0% 34,851 20%

Total 143,726 100% 2,218 100% 4,734 100% 20,135 100% 170,813 100%



31

5.3 Engagement

Of the 295,224 individuals in contact with treatment services during 2014-15 (295,224), (91%)

were either retained for more than 12 weeks, or if leaving treatment before 12 weeks, did so

free of dependence. Opiate clients are most likely to be retained in treatment for at least 12

weeks or complete treatment successfully before this time (95%) compared to non-opiate

(87%), non-opiate and alcohol (88%) and alcohol only clients (87%).

Table 5.3.1 Clients retained to treatment for at least 12 weeks or completing treatment earlier 2014-15

Substance Number in contact

with treatment services

Number retained in treatment for at least 12 weeks or

completing treatment earlier

n n %

Opiate 152,964 145,875 95%

Non-opiate 25,025 21,857 87%

Non-opiate and alcohol 28,128 24,687 88%

Alcohol only 89,107 77,469 87%

Total 295,224 269,888 91%


32

6. Treatment and recovery outcomes

6.1 Treatment exits and successful completions

Table 6.1.1 shows the reasons for clients exiting treatment in 2014-15. There were 130,609

individuals who left treatment during the year and were not in treatment on 1 April 2015. Of

these, 67,788 (52%) were discharged as ‘treatment completed’. This is determined by clinical

judgement that the individual no longer has a need for structured treatment, having achieved all

the care plan goals and having overcome dependent use of the substances that bought them

into treatment. Figure 6.1.1 represents the percentage of successful completions among the

four substance groups. Opiate clients have the lowest rate of successful completions (30%),

compared to the other three substance groups (ranging from 58% for non-opiate and alcohol

clients to 64% for non-opiate clients).

Despite 32% of opiate clients being transferred for further treatment within the community

(17%) or while in custody (15%), they still had the highest proportion of incomplete treatment

(38%). In comparison, around a third of clients in other substance groups exited treatment

incomplete, with non-opiate clients having the lowest proportion (29%). On average (mean),

individuals who completed treatment did so after 334.2 days. However, the average number of

treatment days ranged from 1031.2 days for opiate clients to under 210 days for all the other

substance groups (172.8 for non-opiate clients, 208 for non-opiate and alcohol clients and

188.3 for alcohol only clients).

During 2014-15, 2% of clients died while in contact with treatment. Most of these were opiate

clients (61% of all deaths) with a median age of 43 years. A further 792 (34% of all deaths)

alcohol only clients died while accessing treatment. The majority were aged 40 and over, with

the greatest median age among the substance groups of 49 years. In comparison, non-opiate

and alcohol (4%) and non-opiate clients (2%) made up only a small percentage of deaths while

in contact with treatment services. Non-opiate and alcohol deaths had a median age

comparable to opiate clients (43 years), whereas non-opiate clients had the lowest median age,

with the majority aged under 40 (35 years).

Full definitions of all the treatment exit reasons below can be found in the NDTMS business

definitions:

www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/adultdrugtreatmentbusinessdefinitionv11.03.pdf

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/adultdrugtreatmentbusinessdefinitionv11.03.pdf


33

Table 6.1.1 Treatment exit reasons for clients not retained in treatment on 31 March 2015

Treatment exit reason Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate and alcohol

Alcohol only Total

n % n % n % n % n %

Completed free of dependence – no drug or alcohol use

10,148 26% 6,307 38% 5,914 33% 20,354 35% 42,723 33%

Completed free of dependence 1,537 4% 4,261 26% 4,462 25% 14,805 26% 25,065 19%

Treatment completed free of dependence subtotal

11,685 30% 10,568 64% 10,376 58% 35,159 61% 67,788 52%

Dropped out/left 11,363 30% 4,181 25% 5,162 29% 15,038 26% 35,744 27%

Transferred – not in custody 6,535 17% 657 4% 1,076 6% 4,017 7% 12,285 9%

Transferred – in custody 5,563 15% 565 3% 507 3% 547 1% 7,182 5%

Treatment declined 550 1% 332 2% 440 2% 1,587 3% 2,909 2%

Died 1,428 4% 39 0% 101 1% 792 1% 2,360 2%

Prison 689 2% 111 1% 136 1% 167 0% 1,103 1%

Treatment withdrawn 438 1% 73 0% 117 1% 360 1% 988 1%

Exit reason inconsistent 85 0% 39 0% 44 0% 82 0% 250 0%

Total 38,336 100% 16,565 100% 17,959 100% 57,749 100% 130,609 100%


Figure 6.1.1 Proportion of exits that are successful by the four substance groups 2014-15

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate andalcohol

Alcohol only


34

6.2 Six-month outcomes

Introduction

The Treatment Outcomes Profile (TOP) is a clinical tool that enables clinicians and key workers

to keep track of the progress of individuals through their treatment journeys. It consists of 20

questions focusing on substance use, injecting risk behaviour, housing, employment, crime and

health and quality of life.

In November 2013, the Alcohol Outcomes Record (AOR) was introduced to NDTMS. The AOR

is a four-item condensed version of the TOP, which monitors change in the frequency and

quantity of alcohol consumption, as well as physical health and psychological health. Treatment

providers can utilise either the TOP or the AOR to monitor alcohol only clients. For all other

clients, the TOP is expected. This report includes an analysis of all TOP/AOR review data

received in 2014-15 that complies with the TOP reporting protocols and for which there is also

corresponding treatment start TOP information www.nta.nhs.uk/healthcare-TOP.aspx. The

AOR is not specifically required to be completed for six-month in-treatment outcomes

monitoring, but such instances are included here where the data is available.

The reporting protocols stipulate that an individual can have a review completed between 29

and 182 days following their initial assessment. A total of 90,194 individuals had a review

TOP/AOR occurring in 2014-15 and also had corresponding TOP data at treatment start, and

the outcomes of these individuals are reported here.

Methods

A statistical approach known as the Reliable Change Index (RCI) is used here to classify the

changes in substance use between the start of treatment and six-month review into one of four

categories: abstinent, improved, unchanged and deteriorated. This is based on the application

of the methodology advanced by Jacobson and Truax (1991)5 and verified for use in the

substance misuse field by Marsden et al (2011).6

5 Jacobson N. S., Truax P. Clinical significance: a statistical approach to defining meaningful change in psychotherapy research. Journal of

Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1991; 59: 12–19. www.personal.kent.edu/~dfresco/CRM_Readings/JCCP_Jacobson_ClinSIG.pdf

6 Marsden, J., Eastwood, B., Wright, C., Bradbury, C., Knight, J., Hammond, P. How best to measure change in evaluations of treatment for

substance use disorder. Addiction 2011: 106(2): 294-302. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03143.x/pdf

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/healthcare-TOP.aspx

http://www.personal.kent.edu/~dfresco/CRM_Readings/JCCP_Jacobson_ClinSIG.pdf

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03143.x/pdf


35

Results

Table 6.2.1 presents the change in substance use between the start of treatment and the six-

month review. It is segmented by the four substance groups and reports on the substances that

individuals presented to treatment with. Opiate clients that were not also citing crack cocaine

reported the largest reductions in average number of days of opiate use, 15 days (from 21.7

days to 6.7 days), this compared to a reduction of 11.3 days for those also using crack (from

20.2 days to 8.9 days). Forty-seven per cent of opiate clients not citing crack had stopped using

illicit opiates by the time of their six-month review, and for individuals also citing crack, 34%

achieved abstinence from illicit opiates by six-months.

For non-opiate clients, the largest reduction of average days use was observed in individuals

citing cannabis (11.1 days non-opiates only and 9.9 days non-opiates and alcohol clients),.

Those clients citing cocaine reported the highest rates of abstinence at six months (67% non-

opiate only and 69% non-opiate and alcohol clients). For individuals presenting for alcohol only,

the average number of drinking days was 21.2 days at the start of treatment and fell to 10.9

days by the time of six-month review.

Being abstinent or ‘improved’ at the six-month review is associated with eventual successful

completion from treatment. Individuals treated for powder cocaine and cannabis typically have

better outcomes than individuals that use opiates. They are likely to have fewer associated

social problems, draw on greater personal resources, and receive more social support. As a

result, their prospects of overcoming dependence are usually better than those of opiate

clients.


36

Table 6.2.1 Change in use of cited substance for clients with a review TOP/AOR in the year who reported using at the start of treatment

Substance

START OF TREATMENT AT SIX MONTH REVIEW

Reviewed clients

using at start

Average days of

use at start Abstinent Improved Unchanged Deteriorated

Average days of use

at review

n mean % % % % mean

Opiate

Opiate use (all opiate clients) 22,209 21.0 41% 25% 30% 4% 7.7

Opiate use (in opiate only clients) 12,169 21.7 47% 24% 26% 3% 6.7

Opiate use (in opiate and crack clients) 10,040 20.2 34% 26% 35% 5% 8.9

Crack use (in opiate and crack clients) 8,993 13.0 48% 13% 34% 6% 6.0

Cocaine use 603 6.6 76% 3% 19% 2% 1.6

Amphetamine use 624 9.6 52% 6% 36% 7% 5.4

Cannabis use 3,741 16.2 50% 9% 34% 8% 8.7

Alcohol use 5,461 17.8 28% 14% 48% 10% 13.1

Injecting 7,372 19.5 55% 14% 28% 4% 6.7

Non-opiate

Crack use 605 11.1 62% 9% 27% 3% 3.8

Cocaine use 2,641 9.2 67% 11% 20% 1% 2.1

Amphetamine use 834 14.4 59% 10% 29% 2% 5.3

Cannabis use 5,786 21.9 39% 19% 39% 3% 10.8

Injecting 282 13.3 61% 6% 31% 1% 4.3


Crack use 513 11.7 61% 7% 30% 1% 3.9

Cocaine use 3,322 8.9 69% 9% 20% 1% 2.1

Amphetamine use 471 12.3 64% 7% 28% 1% 4.1

Cannabis use 4,850 19.0 50% 11% 36% 3% 9.1

Alcohol use 10,678 17.5 33% 17% 47% 3% 9.4

Injecting 136 11.0 68% 3% 26% 3% 4.5

Alcohol only

Alcohol use 32,707 21.2 34% 19% 44% 3% 10.9


37

The table below presents the six-month outcomes in employment, education and housing

status by the four substance groups. Opiate clients were much more likely not to be in paid

work, have issues with housing and less likely to be in education compared to individuals

presenting with other substances. Sixteen per cent of opiate clients reported some paid

employment in the 28 days before treatment commenced compared to 29% for non-opiate

clients and 27% for non-opiate and alcohol clients and alcohol only clients.

There was a small increase in the proportion of opiate clients in paid work by the time of the

six-month review (16% to 19%), with the average days of paid work not changing during this

time. Non-opiate clients saw a similar increase in the proportion reporting paid work, (29% to

33%), while non-opiate and alcohol and alcohol only clients demonstrated only marginal

change in paid employment.

Nineteen per cent of opiate clients reported an acute housing problem at the start of treatment,

this fell to 13% by the time of the six-month review. Similar improvements were seen in

individuals presenting with other substances.

Table 6.2.2 Change in employment, education and housing status between the start of treatment and six-

month review

Opiate Non-opiate


Alcohol only

Total

Employment n 30,814 10,791 11,347 32,793 85,745

Baseline work % 16% 29% 27% 27% 23%

Mean days 17.9 17.7 17.5 17.7 17.7

Review work % 19% 33% 28% 27% 25%

Mean days 17.7 18.2 17.8 17.9 17.9

Education n 30,703 10,707 11,250 32,333 84,993

Baseline education % 1% 4% 3% 2% 2%

Mean days 10.6 11.7 10.5 9.8 10.6

Review education % 2% 5% 3% 2% 3%

Mean days 9.4 10.7 9.8 8.9 9.6

Housing problems – acute n 30,693 10,695 11,225 32,076 84,689

Baseline % 19% 11% 14% 7% 13%

Review % 13% 6% 8% 4% 8%

Housing problems – risk n 30,506 10,678 11,150 31,942 84,276

Baseline % 8% 6% 7% 4% 6%

Review % 6% 3% 4% 2% 4%

Housing problems – any n 30,462 10,652 11,132 31,854 84,100

Baseline % 20% 12% 15% 8% 14%

Review % 14% 6% 8% 5% 9%


38

Opiate

Non-opiate


Alcohol only

-

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

200

9-1

0

201

0-1

1

201

1-1

2

201

2-1

3

201

3-1

4

201

4-1

5

Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate and alcohol Alcohol only

7. Trends over time

7.1 Trends in numbers in treatment

Table 7.1.1 and figure 7.1.1 show the change in this measure between 2009-10 and 2014-15

by the four main substance groups.

The proportion of opiate clients who have been in contact with treatment has gradually

decreased from 55% in 2009-10 to 52% in 2014-15. The proportion of individuals in treatment

for the other main substance groups has remained relatively stable over the last six years, with

the proportion of alcohol only clients increasing slightly by 2% since 2009-10.

Table 7.1.1 Trends in numbers in treatment

Year Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate and alcohol

Alcohol only Total

n % n % n % n % n %

2009-10 170,032 55% 24,557 8% 28,992 9% 88,086 28% 311,667 100%

2010-11 169,144 55% 23,613 8% 28,223 9% 88,020 28% 309,000 100%

2011-12 162,435 54% 22,982 8% 27,732 9% 86,416 29% 299,565 100%

2012-13 157,959 53% 23,975 8% 27,627 9% 87,544 29% 297,105 100%

2013-14 155,852 52% 25,570 8% 28,871 10% 91,651 30% 301,944 100%

2014-15 152,964 52% 25,025 8% 28,128 10% 89,107 30% 295,224 100%

Figure 7.1.1 Trends in numbers in treatment


39

7.2 Trends in age group and presenting substances

Figures 7.2.1, 7.2.2 (on the following page) and appendix B show trends in the substances

cited as problematic among new presentations from 2009-10 to 2014-15. The number of

individuals presenting with any opiate citation (total ‘opiates only’ and ‘opiates and crack’) has

fallen from 55,493 in 2009-10 to 44,356 in 2014-15, a reduction of 20%. The number of

individuals presenting with crack cocaine (without opiate use) has also fallen significantly since

2009-10 from 4,241 to 2,885 in 2014-15, a decrease of 32%. This decline in the use of these

substances broadly reflects the trends seen in the estimated prevalence of opiates and crack

cocaine (www.nta.nhs.uk/facts-prevalence.aspx).

The trends in presentations for other substances have remained relatively stable since 2009-10

with the exception of benzodiazepine, where the number of individuals citing this substance has

fallen by 29% over this time.

The largest percentage decrease in presentations for opiates and/or crack cocaine since 2009-

10 has been in individuals under 25. The number of under-25s citing opiates (total ‘opiates only’

and ‘opiates and crack’) fell by 60% between 2009-10 and 2014-15 (6,860 to 2,729). For crack

cocaine (without opiate use), the numbers under 25 citing the substance reduced from 738 to

292, also a reduction of 60%.

This fall in younger opiate users presenting for treatment mirrors the trends seen in the

estimated prevalence of opiate and/or crack cocaine use among individuals aged 15-24, where

the estimated (midpoint) number has fallen from 72,838 (2004-05) to 32,628 (2011-12).

Estimates for 2011-12 can be found at www.nta.nhs.uk/facts-prevalence.aspx and 2004-05

estimates can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/measuring-different-aspects-

of-problem-drug-use-methodological-developments.

The number of citations for other substances also fell, reflecting the general reduction in the

total number of younger individuals presenting for treatment over the last six years (see figure

7.2.4). The greatest percentage reductions were seen in citations for benzodiazepines (997 to

535, a reduction of 46%) and alcohol (9,574 to 6,290, a reduction of 34%). The fall in the latter

reflects a general downward trend in young people’s drinking, as reported in the ‘Smoking,

Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England’ survey for 2014,7 which reported that

38% of 11-15 year olds had tried alcohol at least once, the lowest proportion since the survey

began.

Trends in age and presenting substances among all clients in treatment can be found in the

supporting tables, shown in Appendix D.

7 HSCIC. (2015) Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England - 2014 . [Online] Available from:

www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB17879. [Accessed: 1st December 2015].



https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measuring-different-aspects-of-problem-drug-use-methodological-developments

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measuring-different-aspects-of-problem-drug-use-methodological-developments

http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB17879


40




-

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

200

9-1

0

201

0-1

1

201

1-1

2

201

2-1

3

201

3-1

4

201

4-1

5

Opiate (not crack cocaine) Both opiate and crack cocaine


Cannabis

Cocaine

Benzodiazepine


Alcohol

-

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

200

9-1

0

201

0-1

1

201

1-1

2

201

2-1

3

201

3-1

4

201

4-1

5

Cannabis Cocaine

Benzodiazepine Amphetamine (other than ecstasy)

Alcohol




-

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

200

9-1

0

201

0-1

1

201

1-1

2

201

2-1

3

201

3-1

4

201

4-1

5

Opiate (not crack cocaine) Both opiate and crack cocaine


Cannabis

Cocaine

Benzodiazepine


Alcohol

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

-

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

200

9-1

0

201

0-1

1

201

1-1

2

201

2-1

3

201

3-1

4

201

4-1

5

Alc

oh

ol

Oth

er

dru

gs

Cannabis Cocaine

Benzodiazepine Amphetamine (other than ecstasy)

Alcohol

Figure 7.2.1 Number of new treatment presentations for opiates and /

or crack cocaine

Figure 7.2.3 Presenting substances of under 25s for opiate and/or

crack

Figure 7.2.2 Number of new treatment presentations for other substances

Figure 7.2.4 Presenting substances of under 25s for other substances


41

7.3 Trends in club drug and new psychoactive substance (NPS) use

Table 7.3.1 and figure 7.3.1 report the number of individuals aged 18 or over presenting to

treatment in each of the years 2009-10 to 2014-15, where the individual reported using an NPS

or one or more club drug(s). ‘Club drugs and NPS’ brings together a number of different

substances typically used by people in bars and nightclubs, at concerts and parties, before and

after a night out.

The number of individuals presenting to treatment for a club drug or NPS has increased from

2,727 to 5,532 since 2009-10. The largest increases in the number of citations has been for

mephedrone, rising from 953 in 2010-11 to 2,024 in 2014-15, however, it only started to be

widely used around 2009 and recorded in NDTMS in 2010-11. So in part, the trend is likely to

reflect increased availability and the time it takes recording practice changes to embed in.

Similarly, NPS was only introduced into NDTMS in 2013-14 and will not have been fully

implemented by all treatment providers at the beginning of that year. Therefore the increase

between 2013-14 and 2014-15, while reflecting greater need, will also be due to better

recording of NPS presentations.

The number of individuals citing ecstasy has fallen from 1,756 in 2009-10 to 1,284 in 2014-15,

a decrease of 27%.

Figure 7.3.1 Trends in number of new presentations to treatment citing club drug use

Ecstasy

Ketamine

GHB/GBL Methamphetamine

Mephedrone

New psychoactive substances

-

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Ecstasy Ketamine GHB/GBL

Methamphetamine Mephedrone New psychoactive substances


42

Table 7.3.1 Trends in number of new presentations citing club drugs or new psychoactive substances

Club drug and new psychoactive substances

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Ecstasy 1,756 1,284 1,267 1,329 1,214 1,284

Ketamine 742 927 844 969 1,043 426

GHB/GBL 148 145 201 246 255 321

Methamphetamine 81 87 131 223 254 323

Mephedrone - 953 1,044 1,836 1,895 2,024

New psychoactive substances - - - - 320 1,154

Further breakdown of new psychoactive substances:

Predominantly stimulant - - - - 141 346

Other - - - - 77 262

Predominantly cannabinoid - - - - 67 449

Predominantly hallucinogenic - - - - 19 56

Predominantly sedative/opioid - - - - 14 65

Predominantly dissociative - - - - 12 18

Total number in treatment 147,046 142,955 139,097 140,454 147,458 141,646

*A code for mephedrone was added to the NDTMS core dataset in 2010-11. Any clients reporting mephedrone prior to this are included in the

total but no separate total is given for mephedrone.

**Codes for NPS were added to NDTMS core dataset in 2013-14. Any clients reporting NPS prior to this are included in the total but no

separate figure is given for NPS.

7.4 Trends in treatment exit reasons

Table 7.4.1 reports treatment completed free of dependence for individuals in the years 2009-

10 to 2014-15 broken down by the four main substance groups. Overall, the proportion of

individuals completing treatment free of dependence increased between 2009-10 and 2011-12

from 43% to 53%. Since then the rate has remained stable, falling slightly to 52% in 2014-15.

However, despite a 10% increase in treatment completed free of dependence from 2009-10 to

2011-12 among opiate clients, since then there has been a decrease from 37% to 30% of

clients completing treatment free of dependence. In comparison, the proportion of alcohol only

clients in treatment exiting free of dependence has gradually increased from just under half

(49%) in 2009-10 to 61% in 2014-15.

Trends in all treatment exit reasons can be found in the supporting tables.


43

Table 7.4.1 Trends in treatment completed free of dependence

Year Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate and

alcohol Alcohol only Total

n % n % n % n % n %

2009-10 10,832 27% 8,023 55% 8,414 51% 24,862 49% 52,131 43%

2010-11 13,636 33% 9,144 60% 9,418 56% 29,566 56% 61,764 49%

2011-12 14,792 37% 9,568 64% 10,060 59% 31,102 59% 65,522 53%

2012-13 13,834 36% 9,917 64% 10,186 60% 33,839 60% 67,776 53%

2013-14 12,882 33% 10,939 63% 10,578 58% 36,164 61% 70,563 53%

2014-15 11,685 30% 10,568 64% 10,376 58% 35,159 61% 67,788 52%

7.5 Trends in waiting times for first intervention

Table 7.5.1 presents trends in the number and proportion of individuals that waited three weeks

and under to commence their treatment following the date of referral. Overall, the proportion

waiting three weeks or less has increased from 88% in 2009-10 to 97% in 2014-15. The largest

improvements in waiting times have been seen in individuals presenting with problematic

alcohol use, either alone or in conjunction with non-opiates.

Table 7.5.1 Trends in waiting times of three weeks and under for first intervention

Year Opiate Non-opiate Non-opiate and alcohol

Alcohol only Total

n % n % n % n % n %

2009-10 57,911 94% 15,062 95% 15,832 88% 42,483 78% 131,288 88%

2010-11 53,848 96% 14,952 96% 16,219 90% 46,954 82% 131,973 90%

2011-12 51,018 97% 15,800 97% 17,545 92% 48,978 85% 133,341 92%

2012-13 54,812 98% 17,032 97% 18,079 94% 54,550 89% 144,473 94%

2013-14 63,994 98% 18,279 98% 19,625 96% 62,140 93% 164,038 96%

2014-15 64,152 98% 17,599 98% 18,648 96% 60,593 95% 160,992 97%


44

8. A ten-year treatment population

analysis

This section presents an analysis of treatment histories for individuals across ten years of

treatment data, starting from 2005-06 (the furthest back NDTMS data is considered to be

sufficiently robust for comparison with subsequent years). See Quality and methodology

Information for information on the methodological implications of this analysis compared with

analysis elsewhere in the report where each year’s figures are calculated independently.

Appendix C reports all individuals that have been in contact with substance misuse treatment

on or after 1 April 2005. The table is split into three sections:

the first section reports the number of individuals that start treatment in any given

year after 1 April 2005, and who are in treatment on 31 March 2015

the second section reports all individuals who were in contact with treatment in any

given year after 1 April 2005 and reports the number of these from each year who

were not in treatment on 31 March 2015, and whose records indicated that treatment

was incomplete at the time of discharge (treatment incomplete)

the third section looks at all individuals who were in contact with the treatment

system on or after 1 April 2005 and who are no longer in contact with the treatment

system, due to completing their treatment and being discharged in a planned way

(treatment complete) and not having returned for treatment during this time

Over the ten years, 779,554 unique individuals have been recorded in contact with substance

use treatment of whom, 157,306 (20%) were retained in treatment on 31 March 2015. Thirty-

eight per cent (296,309) had exited (treatment incomplete) while a further 325,939 (42%) had

completed treatment and not since returned.

https://www.ndtms.net/resources/secure/Quality-and-Methodology-NDTMS-2014-15.pdf

https://www.ndtms.net/resources/secure/Quality-and-Methodology-NDTMS-2014-15.pdf


45

First attempt at treatment

33%

Two journeys since first

presentation 22%

Three journeys since first

presentation 16%

More than three journeys

since first presentation

29%

Figure 8.1.1 Last status of all clients in treatment since 2005-06

Of the 157,306 individuals who were retained in treatment on the 31 March 2015, a third (33%)

were on their first attempt at treatment and had been in continuously since their initial

commencement. Just under a quarter (22%) were on their second treatment journey and 29%

had more than three attempts at treatment.

Figure 8.1.2 Number of previous treatment journeys for those retained in treatment 31 March 2015

Retained at 31/03/15

20%

Exited treatment

incomplete 38%

Treatment complete

42%


46

Table 8.1.1 and figure 8.1.3 report on all individuals referred to treatment since 1 April 2005

and give a breakdown of individuals’ treatment status at 31 March 2015 by drug group and by

the year of the initial contact with the treatment system.

There have been 273,898 opiate users in contact with the treatment system since 2005-06,

with the majority starting treatment for the first time (known as treatment naïve) in 2006-07 or

before (59%, 162,875). The numbers presenting for the first time have decreased year on year,

with only 6,942 treatment naïve individuals presenting in 2014-15.

The trend in individuals presenting for the first time is different for users of other substances,

with the general trend across the two non-opiate groups being relatively stable since 2005-06

and an increase in alcohol treatment naïve presentations up until 2008-09. However, this will be

in a large part due to only partial data being collected on alcohol treatment, with full coverage

implemented during 2008-09 and 2009-10. Since then the number of alcohol only clients has

fallen gradually from 34,108 to 28,616.


47

Figure 8.1.3 – Number of clients starting treatment for the first time ever by substance group and year of initial contact *

*complete coverage of alcohol treatment in England was not achieved until 2009

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

Prior to2005-06

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Opiate clients Non-opiate clients Non-opiate and alcohol clients Alcohol only clients


48

Table 8.1.1 Treatment contact status at 31 March 2015 by main substance groups for clients commencing treatment since 2005-06

Substance group

Year of first presentation

Prior to 2005-06

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Total %

Opiate clients

Retained at 31 March 2015 40,181 20,605 12,399 9,083 7,629 5,573 4,175 3,338 3,217 3,332 4,530 114,062 42%

Subtotal exited (treatment incomplete)

23,182 18,497 12,755 10,047 8,448 6,609 4,820 3,522 2,907 2,665 1,512 94,964 35%

Subtotal treatment complete 16,466 10,900 7,890 6,926 6,027 4,893 3,935 2,863 2,184 1,888 900 64,872 24%

Total clients in treatment since 1 April 2005

79,829 50,002 33,044 26,056 22,104 17,075 12,930 9,723 8,308 7,885 6,942 273,898 100%

Non-opiate clients

Retained at 31 March 2015 117 74 88 100 106 102 134 156 240 548 3,845 5,510 6%


2,524 5,810 5,096 4,766 4,018 3,209 2,733 2,701 3,028 3,049 2,049 38,983 41%

Subtotal treatment complete 1,643 3,125 3,642 4,725 4,868 5,164 5,292 5,691 5,865 6,222 3,632 49,869 53%


4,284 9,009 8,826 9,591 8,992 8,475 8,159 8,548 9,133 9,819 9,526 94,362 100%

Non-opiate and alcohol clients

Retained at 31 March 2015 404 814 787 973 1,127 1,026 915 886 904 1,209 3,725 12,770 10%


2,441 5,638 5,164 5,841 6,468 5,368 4,469 3,925 3,615 3,544 1,991 48,464 40%



5,093 11,410 11,456 13,646 15,463 13,580 11,909 10,955 10,055 9,914 8,505 121,986 100%

Alcohol only clients

Retained at 31 March 2015 257 550 598 997 1,449 1,368 1,440 1,615 1,970 2,971 11,749 24,964 9%


3,954 8,866 8,499 11,090 15,965 14,585 12,462 10,997 10,440 10,447 6,593 113,898 39%



7,683 16,582 17,543 24,944 35,771 34,108 32,496 30,434 30,068 31,063 28,616 289,308 100%


49

Substance group

Year of first presentation

Prior to 2005-06

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Total %

Total clients



32,101 38,811 31,514 31,744 34,899 29,771 24,484 21,145 19,990 19,705 12,145 296,309 38%



96,889 87,003 70,869 74,237 82,330 73,238 65,494 59,660 57,564 58,681 53,589 779,554 100%

Figure 8.1.4 Treatment contact status for the four main substance groups in 2014-15

Figure 8.1.4 presents the status of clients that have been in contact with treatment since 2005-06 by the four substance groups.

Just under a quarter (24%) of all opiate clients in treatment since 2005-06 had completed treatment and not returned by 31 March

2015. This compared to the other substance groups where the rate of completion and non-representation ranged from 50% (non-

opiate and alcohol clients) to 53% (non-opiates).

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Opia

te

No

n-o

pia

te

No

n-o

pia

tean

d a

lcoho

l

Alc

oho

l o

nly

Tota

l

Retained at 31 March 2015

Subtotal exited (treatmentincomplete)

Subtotal treatmentcomplete


50

9. History

This report presents information relating to drug treatment in England. The statistics are derived

from data that has been collected through NDTMS. NDTMS collects activity data from drug and

alcohol treatment services so that:

· the progress of individuals entering treatment may be monitored and their outcomes and

recovery assessed

· trends and shifts in patterns of drug use and addiction can be monitored, to inform future

planning locally and nationally

· service users’ journeys from addiction to recovery can be tracked

· the impact of drug treatment as a component of the wider public health service may be

measured

· they can demonstrate their accountability to their service users, local commissioners and

communities

· costs can be benchmarked against data from comparable areas to show how efficiently

they use resources and how they are delivering value for money

Drug treatment activity has been collected nationally for nearly 25 years and has been routinely

collected through NDTMS since April 2004. NDTMS is currently managed by PHE.

NDTMS has been reorganised over the years, bringing the definition of drug treatment

recorded by the system further into line with ‘Models of care for treatment of adult drug users’

(see www.nta.nhs.uk/publications/documents/nta_modelsofcare_update_2006_moc3.pdf).

Since 2003-04 data collection has been consistently collected by treatment services, submitting

a core data set of their clients’ information as a database extract. The dataset and data

collection methods have also changed. Code sets for the core data set can be found in NDTMS

reference data document (see www.nta.nhs.uk/areas/ndtms/core_data_set_page.aspx).

NDTMS figures for England are collated by The National Drug Evidence Centre (NDEC), along

with those for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and combined into a UK return for use by

the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (see

www.emcdda.europa.eu/html.cfm/index190EN.html), and for the United Nations.

This statistical release covers England only. Information on drug treatment in Wales, Scotland

and Northern Ireland is also available:

www.wales.gov.uk/keypubstatisticsforwales/topicindex/topics.htm#public (Wales)

www.scotpho.org.uk/comparative-health/profiles/online-profiles-tool (Scotland)

www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/articles/drugs-statistics (Northern Ireland)

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/publications/documents/nta_modelsofcare_update_2006_moc3.pdf

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/areas/ndtms/core_data_set_page.aspx

http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/html.cfm/index190EN.html

http://www.wales.gov.uk/keypubstatisticsforwales/topicindex/topics.htm#public

http://www.scotpho.org.uk/comparative-health/profiles/online-profiles-tool

https://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/articles/drugs-statistics


51

NDEC is part of the Centre for Epidemiology, which is one of six centres in the Institute of

Population Health, University of Manchester.

While comparisons to alcohol treatment statistics from other countries can be made,

care needs to be taken as the data is unlikely to be directly comparable due to

differences in the definitions and methodologies that are used in collecting the data and

in subsequently reporting it.

9.1 Relevant web links and contact details

Monthly web-based NDTMS analyses

www.ndtms.net/

National Drug Evidence Centre (NDEC)

www.medicine.manchester.ac.uk/healthmethodology/research/ndec/

Public Health England

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england

General enquiries For media enquiries, please call 020 3682 0574 or email [email protected]

For technical enquiries, please email [email protected]

Policy

Evidence application team, PHE

[email protected]

Data and Statistics

Jonathan Knight – head of evidence application team, PHE

[email protected]

Patrick Horgan – senior information analyst, PHE

[email protected]

Peter Willey – senior information analyst, PHE

[email protected]

Bethan Hamilton – information analyst, PHE

[email protected]

http://www.ndtms.net/

http://www.medicine.manchester.ac.uk/healthmethodology/research/ndec/

http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england









52

Andrew Jones – research fellow, National Drug Evidence Centre

[email protected]

9.2 Comparability of data to previous reports

Since 1 November 2012, PHE made substantial changes to the core dataset with regards to

the coding of intervention type. Prior to this, intervention codes were restricted to the six broad

categories: inpatient, residential rehabilitation, prescribing, psychosocial, structured day

programme and other structured treatment. These categories did not allow the distinction to be

easily made between the setting where the interventions were being delivered and the

interventions themselves.

Following consultations with clinicians, treatment providers and other key stakeholders a new

method of recording intervention types and setting separately was introduced alongside the

ability for providers to record the non-structured recovery support interventions that they were

delivering.

As part of the changes in the coding of intervention type, from 1 November 2012 all registered

treatment providers are registered with a setting type. There are six settings: community,

inpatient, residential, recovery house, prison and primary care, which have now been

incorporated to PHE’s regular reporting. Clients in a prison setting are not reported on in this

document. Definitions of these settings can be found in section 10.2 and the implementation

guide can be found at www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/guidetoimplementingcdsjv2.0.pdf. Intervention

types have been split in to three high-level categories; pharmacological interventions,

psychosocial interventions and recovery support interventions. Recovery support interventions

are not reported on in the present report. Due to these implemented changes, most reporting of

interventions is limited to those occurring on or after 31 October 2012. Therefore, the validity of

comparing data to previous years, particularly in tables 5.2.1, 5.2.2 and 5.2.3, is limited.

In 2013-14 a further consultation was undertaken on combining alcohol and drug treatment

journeys. Prior to this, when an adult presented to treatment with a primary alcohol treatment

episode concurrent with, or followed by, a primary drug treatment episode, this was reported as

two separate treatment journeys. A combined treatment journey methodology removes this

anomaly and was supported by a majority of respondents to the consultation.

As a result of the new reporting framework, comparisons of data in this report with previous

adult drug and alcohol statistics are not valid. Interested parties are referred to trend tables 7.1

to 7.5, appendix B and the accompanying more detailed spreadsheets published alongside this

report. A more detailed explanation of this methodological change can be found in section 2 of

this report.


http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/guidetoimplementingcdsjv2.0.pdf


53

9.3 Drug treatment collection and reporting timeline

1989-March 2001 Regional Drug Misuse Database (RDMD) – statistics reported in six monthly

bulletins by the Department of Health from 1993 to 2001.

webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsand

statistics/Statistics/StatisticalWorkAreas/Statisticalpublichealth/DH_4015620

April 2001-March 2004 National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) – statistics

reported annually by the Department of Health.

April 2004-March 2013 National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) – managed by

the National Treatment Agency (NTA) reporting statistics annually up to March 2012.

April 2013 to date National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) – managed by Public

Health England (PHE) reporting statistics annually from April 2012.

9.4 Other sources of statistics about drugs

9.4.1 Prevalence of drug use

An annual estimate of the prevalence of drug use is undertaken through the Crime Survey for

England and Wales (CSEW, formerly the British Crime Survey (BCS)). This section of the

survey has been in place since 1996, annually since 2001, and has tracked the prevalence of

the use of different drugs over this time.

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/drug-misuse-findings-from-the-2014-to-2015-csew.

A second method is used to produce estimates for the prevalence of crack cocaine and heroin

use for each local authority area in England. Estimates are available for 2006-07, 2008-09,

2009-10 and 2010-11. The estimates are produced through a mixture of capture-recapture and

Multiple Indicator Methodology (MIM), and rely on NDTMS data being matched against and/or

analysed alongside Probation and Home Office data sets. The data and further information are

available at:

www.nta.nhs.uk/facts-prevalence.aspx.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http:/www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/StatisticalWorkAreas/Statisticalpublichealth/DH_4015620

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http:/www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/StatisticalWorkAreas/Statisticalpublichealth/DH_4015620

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/drug-misuse-findings-from-the-2014-to-2015-csew



54

9.4.2 Young people

Information is also available relating to the prevalence of drug use among secondary school

pupils aged 11 to 15 from the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Survey among young people in

England. This is a survey carried out for the NHS Information Centre by the National Centre for

Social Research and the National Foundation for Educational Research. The survey annually

interviews school pupils, and has been in place since 2001. The data and further information

are available here: www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB17879.

NDTMS collects data on drug and alcohol treatment for young people, and produces official

statistics bulletins, which can be found at:

www.nta.nhs.uk/statistics.aspx

It should be noted that young people’s treatment figures are not comparable with statistics

relating to adult treatment. This is because access to treatment for young people requires a

‘lower severity of drug use and associated problems’.8

9.4.3 Criminal justice statistics

The Ministry of Justice produces a quarterly statistics bulletin that provides details of individuals

in custody and under the supervision of the probation service. These can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly .

The Ministry of Justice also produces statistics relating to aspects of sentencing, including

trends in custody, sentences, fines and other disposals. These can be found at:

data.gov.uk/dataset/sentencing_statistics_england_and_wales

8 Drug Misuse and Dependence - UK Guidelines on Clinical Management, p85, London: Department of Health (England), the Scottish

Government, Welsh Assembly Government and Northern Ireland Executive.

http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB17879

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/statistics.aspx

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly

http://data.gov.uk/dataset/sentencing_statistics_england_and_wales


55

9.4.4 International comparisons

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) publishes an annual

report that describes and compares aspects of drug use and drug policy within European

states, as well as providing detailed comparative statistics. This can be found at:

www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/edr/trends-developments/2015

The centre also produces a treatment demand indicator (TDI), which is a collection of

comparative statistics relating to individuals seeking treatment. This can be found at:

www.emcdda.europa.eu/data/stats2015#displayTable:TDI-0023

While comparisons to alcohol treatment statistics from other countries can be made, care

needs to be taken as the data is unlikely to be directly comparable due to differences in the

definitions and methodologies that are used in collecting the data and subsequently in reporting

it.

9.4.5 Drug-related deaths

The Office for National Statistics publishes an annual summary of all deaths related to drug

poisoning (involving both legal and illegal drugs) and drug misuse (involving illegal drugs) in

England and Wales. This can be found at:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/england-and-

wales---2014/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning-in-england-and-wales--2014-registrations.html

http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/edr/trends-developments/2015

http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/data/stats2015#displayTable:TDI-0023




56

10. Abbreviations and definitions

10.1 Abbreviations

CARAT Counselling, assessment, referral, advice and throughcare

CJIT Criminal justice intervention team

CJS Criminal justice system

CQC Care Quality Commission

DP Drug partnership

DIP Drug interventions programme

DRR Drug rehabilitation requirement (formerly DTTO)

NDEC National Drug Evidence Centre (University of Manchester)

NDTMS National Drug Treatment Monitoring System

NTA National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse

PCT Primary care trust

PHE Public Health England

RDMD Regional drug misuse database

YP Young people

10.2 Definitions

Agency/provider A provider of services for the treatment of alcohol misuse. It may be

statutory (ie, NHS) or non-statutory (ie, third sector, charitable).

Agency/provider code A unique identifier for the treatment provider (agency) assigned by

the regional NDTMS centres – eg, L0001.

Adjunctive drug use Substances additional to the primary drug used by the client.

NDTMS collects secondary and tertiary substances.

Attributor A concatenation of a client’s initials, date of birth and gender. This is

used to isolate records that relate to individual clients.

Client A drug user presenting for treatment at a structured treatment

service. Records relating to individual clients are isolated and linked

based on the attributor and drug partnership of residence.


57

Community setting A structured drug and alcohol treatment setting where residence is

not a condition of engagement with the service. This will include

treatment within community drug and alcohol teams and day

programmes (including rehabilitation programmes where residence

in a specified location is not a condition of entry).

Discharge date Usually the planned discharge date in a client’s treatment plan,

where one has been agreed. However, if a client's discharge was

unplanned, then the date of last face-to-face contact with the

provider (agency) is used.

Drug partnership Partnerships responsible for delivering the drug strategy at a local

level (also known as drug and alcohol action team, or DAAT).

Episode A period of contact with a treatment provider (agency): from referral

to discharge.

Episode of treatment A set of interventions with a specific care plan. A client may attend

one or more interventions (or types) of treatment during the same

episode of treatment. A client may also have more than one episode

in a year. A client is considered to have been in contact during the

year, and hence included in these results, if any part of an episode

occurs within the year. Where several episodes were collected for

an individual, attributes such as ethnicity, primary substance, etc,

are based on the first valid data available for that individual.

In contact Clients are counted as being in contact with treatment services if

their date of presentation (as indicated by triage), intervention start,

intervention end or discharge indicates that they have been in

contact with a provider during the year.

Inpatient setting An inpatient unit provides assessment, stabilisation and/or assisted

withdrawal with 24-hour cover from a multidisciplinary clinical team

who have had specialist training in managing addictive behaviours.

In addition, the clinical lead in such a service comes from a

consultant in addiction psychiatry or another substance misuse

medical specialist. The multidisciplinary team may include

psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists and

social workers. Inpatient units are for those alcohol or drug users

whose needs require supervision in a controlled medical

environment.

Intervention A type of treatment, eg, structured counselling, community

prescribing, etc.


58

First/subsequent 'First intervention' refers to the first intervention that occurs in a

intervention treatment journey. 'Subsequent intervention' refers to interventions

within a treatment journey that occur after the first intervention.

Opiate A group of drugs including heroin, methadone and buprenorphine.

Presenting for treatment The first face-to-face contact between a client and a treatment

provider.

Primary care setting Structured substance misuse treatment is provided in a primary care

setting by a general practitioner, often with a special interest in

addiction treatment.

Primary care trust A PCT was a type of NHS trust, part of the NHS in England. PCTs

were largely administrative bodies, responsible for commissioning

primary, community and secondary health services from providers.

Primary drug The substance that brought the client into treatment at the point of

triage/initial assessment.

Recovery house setting A recovery house is a residential living environment, in which

integrated peer-support and/or integrated recovery support

interventions are provided for residents who were previously, or are

currently, engaged in treatment to overcome their drug and alcohol

dependence. The residences can also be referred to as dry-houses,

third-stage accommodation or quasi-residential.

Referral date The date the client was referred to the provider for this episode of

treatment.

Residential rehab setting A structured drug and alcohol treatment setting where residence is a

condition of receiving the intervention. A residential programme may

also deliver an assisted-withdrawal programme.

Structured drug treatment Structured drug treatment follows assessment and is delivered

according to a care plan, with clear goals, which are regularly

reviewed with the client. It may comprise a number of concurrent or

sequential treatment interventions.

Treatment journey A set of concurrent or serial treatment episodes linked together to

describe a period of treatment based on the clients’ attributors and

DAAT of residence. This can be within one provider or across a

number of different providers.


59

Triage An initial clinical risk assessment performed by a treatment provider.

A triage includes a brief assessment of the problem as well as an

assessment of the client’s readiness to engage with treatment, in

order to inform a care plan.

Triage date The date that the client made a first face-to-face presentation to a

treatment provider. This could be the date of triage/initial

assessment though this may not always be the case.

Waiting times The period from the date a person is referred for a specific

treatment intervention and the date of the first appointment offered.

Referral for a specific treatment intervention typically occurs within

the treatment provider at, or following, assessment.

Note: full operational definitions can be found in the NDTMS core data set documents on

www.nta.nhs.uk/core-data-set.aspx.

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/core-data-set.aspx


60

Appendix A Diagram to show flow through treatment

This diagram illustrates a typical user journey through the treatment system. It is provided to give an indication of a possible

treatment pathway and the interventions received. All pathways will vary depending on the substances used and the clinical

requirements of the client, their general health needs and any other relevant issues they may have that will impact on the clinical

care provided.


61

Appendix B

Trends in new presentations

This table shows the trends in age group and presenting substances among new presentations to treatment since 2009-10. A

graphical representation of the data can be seen in figures 7.2.1 to 7.2.4.

Ye

ar Substance 18-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65+ Total

n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n %

20

09

-10


4,279 20 7,296 31 7,886 32 6,425 27 4,288 21 2,226 15 906 10 429 8 124 4 70 4 33,929 23


2,581 12 4,878 21 5,170 21 4,217 18 2,782 13 1,316 9 434 5 127 2 49 2 10 1 21,564 15


738 4 784 3 744 3 737 3 633 3 353 2 167 2 63 1 15 1 7 0 4,241 3

Cannabis 8,987 43 5,975 26 4,958 20 4,016 17 3,173 15 1,751 12 742 9 323 6 88 3 27 1 30,040 20

Cocaine 4,420 21 3,591 15 2,749 11 2,045 9 1,371 7 692 5 226 3 98 2 29 1 8 0 15,229 10

Benzodiazepine 997 5 1,626 7 1,838 8 1,523 6 1,005 5 472 3 213 2 117 2 44 1 37 2 7,872 5

Amphetamine (other than

ecstasy) 1,288 6 1,118 5 1,253 5 1,178 5 827 4 452 3 163 2 65 1 22 1 11 1 6,377 4

Other 1,870 9 1,131 5 851 3 692 3 560 3 306 2 161 2 86 2 33 1 32 2 5,722 4

Alcohol 9,574 45 9,866 42 11,237 46 13,580 57 14,081 68 11,420 77 7,342 85 4,732 89 2,750 94 1,803 95 86,385 59

Total 21,080

23,290

24,413

23,770

20,845

14,844

8,671

5,289

2,939

1,905

147,046

20

10

-11


3,347 17 5,796 28 7,095 30 5,950 26 4,009 20 2,175 14 914 10 382 7 155 5 66 3 29,889 21


2,294 12 4,333 21 5,183 22 4,266 19 2,716 13 1,380 9 424 5 145 3 35 1 10 0 20,786 15


637 3 776 4 767 3 657 3 611 3 392 3 184 2 54 1 26 1 13 1 4,117 3

Cannabis 8,672 44 5,574 27 4,925 21 3,958 17 3,071 15 1,783 12 817 9 314 6 109 3 30 1 29,253 20

Cocaine 4,006 21 3,295 16 2,696 11 1,957 8 1,286 6 629 4 246 3 84 2 28 1 7 0 14,234 10

Benzodiazepine 914 5 1,395 7 1,693 7 1,405 6 904 4 495 3 211 2 86 2 50 2 30 1 7,183 5


ecstasy) 1,741 9 1,231 6 1,279 5 1,139 5 823 4 407 3 158 2 83 1 12 0 6 0 6,879 5

Other 1,637 8 896 4 727 3 590 3 434 2 250 2 149 2 92 2 38 1 25 1 4,838 3

Alcohol 9,138 47 9,338 45 11,269 48 13,365 58 14,094 69 11,796 78 7,896 86 5,045 90 3,000 93 2,111 96 87,052 61

Total 19,495

20,967

23,635

23,051

20,449

15,164

9,201

5,583

3,212

2,198

142,955


62

Ye


n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n %

20

11

-12


2,633 15 5,044 26 6,495 28 5,414 25 3,912 19 2,146 14 874 9 423 7 170 5 49 2 27,160 20


1,742 10 3,622 18 4,650 20 3,781 17 2,532 13 1,350 9 466 5 130 2 46 1 12 1 18,331 13


478 3 613 3 758 3 624 3 526 3 407 3 176 2 64 1 19 1 8 0 3,673 3

Cannabis 8,620 48 5,573 28 5,100 22 3,940 18 3,116 15 1,954 13 848 8 391 7 117 4 30 1 29,689 21

Cocaine 3,847 22 3,347 17 2,658 12 1,901 9 1,294 6 669 4 272 3 98 2 20 1 9 0 14,115 10

Benzodiazepine 805 5 1,258 6 1,624 7 1,267 6 899 4 480 3 188 2 88 2 39 1 32 1 6,680 5


ecstasy) 1,602 9 1,306 7 1,219 5 1,185 5 845 4 467 3 184 2 96 2 24 1 5 0 6,933 5

Other 1,490 8 919 5 730 3 568 3 442 2 309 2 160 2 75 1 32 1 33 1 4,758 3

Alcohol 8,569 48 9,277 47 11,498 50 12,988 60 14,030 70 12,179 79 8,757 87 5,125 90 3,087 94 2,254 95 87,764 63

Total 17,845

19,582

22,838

21,747

20,141

15,493

10,077

5,708

3,300

2,366

139,097

20

12

-13


2,164 13 4,467 24 6,386 27 5,315 25 3,977 19 2,307 14 988 9 419 7 151 4 63 2 26,237 19


1,473 9 3,210 17 4,575 20 3,894 18 2,740 13 1,525 9 551 5 153 2 42 1 18 1 18,181 13


409 2 541 3 652 3 524 2 484 2 356 2 186 2 64 1 17 1 8 0 3,241 2

Cannabis 8,399 51 5,505 29 5,141 22 3,913 18 3,215 16 2,100 13 1,034 9 399 6 131 4 32 1 29,869 21

Cocaine 3,659 22 3,431 18 3,037 13 1,893 9 1,311 6 739 5 323 3 83 1 27 1 14 1 14,517 10

Benzodiazepine 617 4 995 5 1,404 6 1,217 6 886 4 470 3 211 2 105 2 62 2 50 2 6,017 4


ecstasy) 1,642 10 1,280 7 1,243 5 1,056 5 836 4 480 3 210 2 75 1 15 0 8 0 6,845 5

Other 1,621 10 971 5 776 3 569 3 443 2 286 2 180 2 85 1 30 1 33 1 4,994 4

Alcohol 7,560 45 9,005 48 11,744 50 12,744 59 14,186 69 12,807 78 9,528 86 5,650 91 3,148 93 2,650 95 89,022 63

Total 16,622

18,696

23,304

21,566

20,492

16,385

11,021

6,220

3,368

2,780

140,454


63

Ye


n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n %

20

13

-14


1,951 12 3,842 20 6,203 26 5,512 25 4,298 20 2,570 14 1,201 10 464 6 184 5 83 3 26,308 18


1,272 8 3,053 16 4,672 19 3,960 18 3,070 14 1,737 10 659 5 193 3 54 1 9 0 18,679 13


356 2 545 3 646 3 522 2 448 2 340 2 198 2 73 1 29 1 10 0 3,167 2

Cannabis 8,188 51 5,610 30 5,195 22 4,055 18 3,301 15 2,286 13 1,144 9 456 6 151 4 36 1 30,422 21

Cocaine 3,541 22 3,689 20 3,292 14 2,227 10 1,409 6 783 4 380 3 114 2 25 1 10 0 15,470 10

Benzodiazepine 546 3 920 5 1,378 6 1,131 5 869 4 510 3 230 2 89 1 60 1 73 2 5,806 4


ecstasy) 1,420 9 1,220 6 1,368 6 1,076 5 825 4 513 3 238 2 83 1 28 1 6 0 6,777 5

Other 1,758 11 1,009 5 881 4 628 3 502 2 353 2 168 1 77 1 56 1 38 1 5,470 4

Alcohol 7,284 45 9,366 50 12,075 50 12,786 58 14,836 68 13,880 78 10,479 86 6,506 91 3,788 93 3,152 95 94,152 64

Total 16,085

18,867

23,979

22,152

21,745

17,850

12,240

7,153

4,076

3,311

147,458

20

14

-15


1,718 12 3,677 21 5,625 25 5,427 25 4,386 21 2,793 16 1,357 11 507 7 208 5 101 3 25,799 18


1,011 7 2,778 16 4,495 20 4,138 19 3,072 15 1,904 11 831 7 225 3 76 2 27 1 18,557 13


292 2 512 3 572 3 520 2 397 2 288 2 177 1 95 1 21 1 11 0 2,885 2

Cannabis 7,369 52 5,364 30 4,812 21 3,830 18 3,075 15 2,321 13 1,218 10 499 7 143 4 41 1 28,672 20

Cocaine 3,272 23 3,814 21 3,295 15 2,181 10 1,405 7 873 5 430 3 126 2 46 1 17 0 15,459 11

Benzodiazepine 535 4 840 5 1,211 5 1,153 5 865 4 504 3 261 2 84 1 57 1 94 3 5,604 4


ecstasy) 1,271 9 1,303 7 1,335 6 1,114 5 825 4 551 3 245 2 77 1 23 1 9 0 6,753 5

Other 1,702 12 1,045 6 874 4 614 3 554 3 393 2 185 1 94 1 41 1 58 2 5,560 4

Alcohol 6,290 44 8,629 48 11,248 50 11,951 55 13,736 66 13,033 75 10,376 83 6,489 90 3,756 93 3,396 93 88,904 63

Total 14,178

17,866

22,417

21,544

20,769

17,452

12,470

7,241

4,060

3,649

141,646

*The number of individuals will be less than the total of the reported substances as an individual may present with more than one problematic substance



64

Appendix C

Ten-year treatment population

This table shows the ten-year treatment population of first presentation and treatment contact status at 31 March 2015. The table

corresponds with figures 8.1.1 and 8.1.2.

All substance groups Year of first presentation

Category Prior to 2005-06

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Total %

Continuous journey 11,602 2,605 1,892 1,647 1,617 1,338 1,286 1,283 1,943 4,084 22,358 51,655 7%

Two journeys since first presentation

8,638 3,847 2,858 2,546 2,560 2,380 2,265 2,497 2,791 3,241 1,425 35,048 4%

Three journeys since first presentation

6,418 3,920 2,585 2,325 2,299 1,933 1,641 1,371 1,168 620 64 24,344 3%

More than three journeys since first presentation

14,301 11,671 6,537 4,635 3,835 2,418 1,472 844 429 115 2 46,259 6%


Exited (treatment incomplete) in 2005-06

8,079 12,474 - - - - - - - - - 20,553 3%


3,263 6,570 11,207 - - - - - - - - 21,040 3%


2,609 2,714 5,973 11,584 - - - - - - - 22,880 3%


2,038 1,991 2,217 6,743 14,184 - - - - - - 27,173 3%


2,063 1,955 1,868 2,734 7,791 13,424 - - - - - 29,835 4%


1,839 1,806 1,565 1,898 2,661 6,678 11,695 - - - - 28,142 4%


1,890 1,738 1,490 1,550 2,147 2,249 5,689 10,430 - - - 27,183 3%


2,188 2,025 1,587 1,675 2,066 2,018 2,220 5,643 10,424 - - 29,846 4%


2,944 2,823 2,153 2,150 2,490 2,297 2,147 2,439 6,413 11,957 - 37,813 5%


5,188 4,715 3,454 3,410 3,560 3,105 2,733 2,633 3,153 7,748 12,145 51,844 7%


65


32,101 38,811 31,514 31,744 34,899 29,771 24,484 21,145 19,990 19,705 12,145 296,309 38%

Treatment complete in 2005-06 4,026 4,753 - - - - - - - - - 8,779 1%

Treatment complete in 2006-07 1,820 4,110 5,542 - - - - - - - - 11,472 1%

Treatment complete in 2007-08 1,634 1,852 5,111 7,364 - - - - - - - 15,961 2%

Treatment complete in 2008-09 1,711 1,902 2,495 8,856 11,796 - - - - - - 26,760 3%

Treatment complete in 2009-10 1,598 1,660 1,704 2,768 9,361 12,165 - - - - - 29,256 4%

Treatment complete in 2010-11 1,875 1,908 1,887 2,406 3,540 10,356 13,722 - - - - 35,694 5%

Treatment complete in 2011-12 2,251 2,112 1,916 2,232 2,940 3,594 10,626 14,076 - - - 39,747 5%

Treatment complete in 2012-13 2,421 2,252 1,997 2,263 2,784 2,851 3,603 11,200 14,922 - - 44,293 6%

Treatment complete in 2013-14 2,874 2,461 2,175 2,501 3,110 3,052 3,141 3,845 12,195 17,248 - 52,602 7%

Treatment complete in 2014-15 3,619 3,139 2,656 2,950 3,589 3,380 3,254 3,399 4,126 13,668 17,595 61,375 8%



96,889 87,003 70,869 74,237 82,330 73,238 65,494 59,660 57,564 58,681 53,589 779,554 100%

adult substance misuse statistics from the national drug ... substance misus… · adult substance...

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