New Forest drugs deaths rise as funding falls for support services

THE New Forest is suffering from a spike in people dying from misusing drugs, official numbers show.

Eighteen people lost their lives in the district out of 150 such fatalities across Hampshire - outside Southampton and Portsmouth - during the years 2016-18, according to a report by the Office for National Statistics.

It is the New Forest’s highest two-year total so far in figures that go back to 2001-03 when there were just nine local deaths and 67 across the county.

The latest figures give the Forest the third highest total of deaths out of 11 local authority areas in Hampshire. The only two suffering larger numbers were Havant with 26, and Gosport with 25.

Cuts in funding for drug supports services were blamed by treatment company UK Addiction Treatment Centres (UKAT) for the apparent rise in deaths caused by misuse of substances which include cocaine and opioids but exclude alcohol and tobacco.

Local authority finance figures it collated under the Freedom of Information Act showed major reductions in spending, and it called for more cash to be found to reduce drugs deaths.

Hampshire County Council, which runs substance support services, cut money for drug and alcohol treatments by £432,000 (4%) between 2013/14 and 2019/20. It comes amid a £480m of spending cuts since 2008 in response to plunging government funding.

UKAT managing director Eytan Alexander, said: “These ONS figures are saddening but unsurprising. We urge local councils to invest in effective drug and alcohol services next year to avoid more loss of life.

“We must remember that these aren't just numbers. They're someone's mother, father, child or friend and we can't stress enough the value of investing in addiction treatment."

In England there were 7,366 drugs deaths in 2016-18 compared to 4,651 in 2001-03 – a rise of 58%.

The New Forest figures since 2001-03 show a pattern of deaths rising to 17 in 2008-10, falling to seven in 2001-13 and then rising again to the latest result.

The New Forest’s death rate in 2016-18 was 4.3 per 100,000 population – below the England average of 4.5.

According to HCC’s cabinet member for public health, Cllr Judith Grajewski, the authority’s substance misuse budget for drugs and alcohol has reduced by around 5% since 2013 which she said reflected “reductions in government funding for public health”.

She added: “It has never been more important therefore, to ensure we are making the very best use of the resources available as we work to improve the support for people of all ages to tackle drug use.”

The council co-ordinated with the police, probation and healthcare agencies, Cllr Grajewski said, to help people reduce drugs use and provide facilities for “safe use of drugs and detoxification”.

Examples of work undertaken across the county included targeted outreach and needle and syringe programmes. Opioid substitute medications are available, and there was expanding use of naloxone, which can be used to prevent opioid overdose deaths.

In the area now covered by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, there were 80 drug-related deaths in 2016-18 – down just one from 81 in 2015-17. In 2009-11 they were as low as 48.

For an interactive map of council drug support spending, go to www.ukat.co.uk/addiction-treatment-budget-cuts/.