400 new places after Staffordshire drug scheme review
The number of places on drug and alcohol treatment programmes in Staffordshire has gone up by 20 per cent after a revamp of the service.
Council bosses have undertaken an overhaul of the programmes available cutting the number of contracts from 10 to three.
They say it means there is less overlapping and the service is more efficient. It has opened up another 400 places on programmes across the county, taking the total to 2,500.
Bosses say it will help the crackdown on drug and alcohol abuse, which costs Staffordshire an estimated £110m every year – around £60m to the NHS and councils through ill health and social care; £20m to the criminal justice system; and £30m to employers in sick days and lost productivity.
A review last year revealed that partners ran 30 contracts for drug and alcohol treatment with 10 different providers. The new approach streamlines arrangements into just three contracts to reduce duplication, splitting the county into north, west and east. The contracts, worth £6.7m a year, have been awarded to the Addiction Dependency Solutions charity.
Councillor Robbie Marshall, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: "If drug and alcohol abuse goes untreated, it can ruin lives, harm families and damage communities across Staffordshire.
"Alcohol and drugs are one of the main causes of crime, anti-social behaviour, ill health, and domestic abuse including child protection issues.
"Simplified contract arrangements with the new provider cut duplication and mean we can deliver more for the same amount, and deliver real value for money to the Staffordshire taxpayer."
Staffordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis said: "Breaking the cycle of addiction is a key part of working with offenders and families who often have chaotic and dysfunctional lives. By doing this, local communities will benefit as crime will reduce faster, wider and for the long term."
