New research finds link between funding cuts and reduced access to treatment

The research found that local authority funding for drug and alcohol treatment services fell by 27 per cent between 2013 and 2019, removing £212 million from the system. The same time period saw an 11 per cent reduction in people accessing services, and a 21 per cent reduction in people completing treatment.

The research did not find any signification associations between funding cuts and increases in drug and alcohol-related mortality, but the researchers noted those findings should be treated “with caution”.

Overall, the researchers estimate that the reduction in funding between 2013 and 2019 resulted in 6430 fewer people accessing treatment, and 4350 fewer successfully completing treatment for substance use.