Drug Use

Headlines

  • It is estimated that 2,927 people are using either opiates and/or crack cocaine in Wakefield District (2019/20), of which 1,658 people are using opiates only, and 382 people are using crack cocaine only1. The number of people using opiates only per 1,000 population is significantly higher than the England rate, but the number of people using crack only per 1,000 population is similar to the England rate.
  • In 2022/23 there were 1,540 adults in treatment for opiate use, 330 in treatment for non-opiate use, and 175 in treatment for non-opiates and alcohol use. 2.
  • Wakefield District now has the highest rate of deaths from drug use in the Yorkshire and Humber region 4 - 105 deaths in the three years 2019 to 2021.
  • In 2022, 14% of Year 9 pupils said they had ever been offered cannabis and 4% said they had ever taken cannabis 8. 7% of Year 9 pupils had ever been offered other drugs, but only 2% had ever taken other drugs.
  • Within Wakefield District there were 1,097 drug offences recorded by the police in the 12 months to the end of September 2022. 10.
  • There are more adult males than females from Wakefield District in treatment. Of those in treatment for opiates in 2021/22, 1,125 were male and 440 were female.
  • The age profile of local people in treatment for opiate use is older than those in treatment for non-opiate use. In 2021/22, only 5% of people in treatment for opiates were aged under 30. By contrast, 51% of people in treatment for non-opiates only were aged under 30.
  • Turning Point is a community-based organisation commissioned by Wakefield Council to deliver the district-wide drugs and alcohol prevention, treatment and recovery service. Inspiring Recovery is the drug and alcohol service for adults age 25 and over and Inspiring Futures is the young persons, young adults, families and carers drug and alcohol service for those under 25 and families.
Alert from OHID 31/7/2023: Guidance for local areas on planning to deal with potent synthetic opioids.

Introduction to drug use

Drug misuse (hereafter referred to as 'drug use') is defined as the use of a substance for a purpose not consistent with legal or medical guidelines. It has a negative impact on health or functioning and may take the form of drug dependence, or be part of a wider spectrum of problematic or harmful behaviour. The types of drugs that may be used include controlled drugs, the misuse of medicines, and the use of other substances, such as glues, gases and aerosols. Peoples' pathways into substance use may differ, and recreational or sporadic use may not necessarily lead to more sustained use or the development of substance use disorder. And while initial reasons for substance use might be recreational, people may also be using drugs to self-medicate for an under- or untreated psychiatric or physical disorder; using substances not in accordance with a doctor’s prescription, or using substances as a coping or adaptive mechanism to adverse life events and insecure environments. Much of the activity locally around drug use is contributing to the delivery of the nationally set 10-year drugs plan - From Harm to Hope. For this reason, the analysis below looks at the prevalence of drug use and treatment for drug use, and also the work by enforcement agencies to counter the illegal aspects of drug possession, production and supply.

How Wakefield District compares to elsewhere

There is no single source of information to show the full extent of drug use in the district. Instead, it is necessary to draw upon a range of sources to estimate the scale and type of drug use that is occurring locally.
  • It is estimated that 2,927 people are using either opiates and/or crack cocaine in Wakefield District (2019/20), of which 1,658 people are using opiates only, and 382 people are using crack cocaine only1. The number of people using opiates only per 1,000 population is significantly higher than the England rate, but the number of people using crack only per 1,000 population is similar to the England rate.
  • In 2022/23 there were 1,540 adults in treatment for opiate use, 330 in treatment for non-opiate use, and 175 in treatment for non-opiates and alcohol use. 2. There are more males than females in treatment. The age profile of those in treatment for opiate use is older and this has been an increasing trend, while the numbers of younger adults in treatment for opiates use has fallen markedly. These sex and age patterns are typical of the picture nationally. Those in treatment for non-opiate use are likely to be younger.
  • Wakefield District now has the highest rate of deaths from drug use in the Yorkshire and Humber region 4, with numbers of these deaths having increased markedly over the last few years. The rate of hospital admissions for drug poisonings is also higher than the England average 3.
Further information, including interactive dashboards, is available by expanding the sections below.

Official estimates of opiate and crack use

Prevalence estimates of opiate and crack cocaine use by local area were updated by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) in October 2023. The report presents opiate and / or crack use (OCU) prevalence estimates for local authority areas across England, based on data relating to the financial year 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020. ‘OCU’ refers to use of opiates and/or crack cocaine. It does not include the use of cocaine in a powder form, amphetamine, ecstasy or cannabis. Although many opiate and/or crack users also use these drugs it is very difficult to identify exclusive users of these drugs from the available data sources.

It should be stressed that these figures are estimates. They should always be interpreted in conjunction with their associated confidence intervals (CI), which are specified in each table. The confidence intervals show the range within which there is a 95% certainty that the true value exists, though it is most likely to lie near the estimate itself.

As can be seen, it is estimated that 2,927 people are using either opiates and/or crack cocaine in Wakefield District (2019/20), of which 1,658 people are using opiates only, and 382 people are using crack cocaine only1. The number of people using opiates only per 1,000 population is significantly higher than the England rate, but the number of people using crack only per 1,000 population is similar to the England rate.

Area 15-64 population Number   of users
OCU Lower CI Upper CI Opiates only Lower CI Upper CI Crack only Lower CI Upper CI Both opiates and crack Lower CI Upper CI
Wakefield District 219,077 2,927 2,656 3,298 1,658 1,488 1,882 382 314 463 887 805 1,015
Area Rate of use per thousand of the population
OCU Lower CI Upper CI Opiates only Lower CI Upper CI Crack only Lower CI Upper CI Both opiates and crack Lower CI Upper CI
Wakefield District 13.36 12.12 15.06 7.57 6.79 9.59 1.74 1.43 2.11 4.05 3.67 4.63
Yorkshire and the Humber 12.04 11.28 13.01 6.38 5.94 6.91 1.48 1.33 1.65 4.18 3.97 4.51
ENGLAND 9.54 8.84 10.26 4.6 4.24 4.95 1.32 1.19 1.46 3.63 3.39 3.88

Information about people who are in treatment

In 2022/23 there were 1,540 adults in treatment for opiate use, 330 in treatment for non-opiate use, and 175 in treatment for non-opiates and alcohol use. 2. There are more males than females in treatment. The age profile of those in treatment for opiate use is older and this has been an increasing trend, while the numbers of younger adults in treatment for opiates use has fallen markedly. These sex and age patterns are typical of the picture nationally. Those in treatment for non-opiate use are likely to be younger.

There has been a gradual downward trend in the number of adults in treatment for opiate use and the numbers in treatment for non-opiate use has increased again over the past couple of years. The number of young people (<18) in treatment has fallen over the past couple of years, in part as a consequence of comprehensive case reviews and subsequent treatment exits. 69% of young people in treatment in 2022/23 were male.

National data suggest that adults who stop using illicit opiates in the first six months of treatment are almost five times more likely to complete treatment successfully than those who continue to use. In 2021/22, 65% of adults were no longer injecting at six months review, higher than the England average (57%) 3. Rates of abstinence from drugs at six months review were similar or higher than the England average for all drug types 3.

Year 2021/22 Wakefield District England
Metric Count Proportion Proportion
% of adults with opiate problems in treatment for under two years 573 37% 42%
% of adults with opiate problems in treatment for six years or more 588 38% 28%
Rates of abstinence from drugs at six months review
Alcohol use (adjunctive) 30 41% 29%
Cannabis use 51 50% 38%
Cocaine use 39 66% 63%
Crack use 49 42% 41%
Opiate use 106 56% 46%

Drug related deaths

Wakefield District now has the highest rate of deaths from drug use in the Yorkshire and Humber region 4. Numbers of these deaths have increased markedly over the last few years. The rate of hospital admissions for drug poisonings is also higher than the England average 3.

Metric Wakefield District England
Period Number Rate Lower CI Upper CI Rate Lower CI Upper CI
Hospital admissions for drug poisoning 2021/22 210 59.4 51.9 68.2 42.9 42.4 43.5
Deaths from drug misuse 2019-21 105 10.3 8.3 12.3 5.1 5.0 5.2

Further information on drug use locally and nationally

  • In the Wakefield District Adult Health Survey 2023, 3% of respondents said they use any drugs at least monthly or weekly. Respondents indicated that Cannabis was the only drug being used frequently (3% of people said at least monthly and 10% had tried it once or twice), but 5% of people said they had used powder cocaine once or twice, 4% said they had used Ecstasy once or twice and 2% had used amphetamine, ketamine or nitrous oxide once or twice.
  • In 2024, 15% of Year 9 pupils said they had ever been offered cannabis and 5% said they had ever taken cannabis 8. 78% of Year 12 students had never taken drugs with only 2% saying they took them regularly or most days.
  • Within Wakefield District there were 1,097 drug offences recorded by the police in the 12 months to the end of September 2022 10. In 2021/22, nearly 20,000 cannabis plants were seized by police across West Yorkshire, and 50kg of herbal cannabis12.
  • Section 23 Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) also allows the police to stop and search people and vehicles if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that someone is in possession of a controlled drug. There were around 850 such stop and searches across Wakefield District in 2022, a similar number to the previous year. There was no further action in around two-thirds of stops.
  • Data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) showed no change in the overall level of any drug use in the last year for the year ending March 2023 compared with the year ending March 2020 5. Approximately 1 in 11 adults aged 16 to 59 years (9.5%; approximately 3.1 million adults) and approximately 1 in 6 adults aged 16 to 24 years (17.6%; approximately 1 million adults) reported last year drug use in the year ending March 2023.
  • Cannabis is the most common drug used nationally (15% of young adults and 8% of all adults used it in the past year). Powder cocaine is the second most commonly used drug among all adults (2.4% used) and young adults (5.1%). Bewteen 2020 and 2023 there was a significant increase in the use of hallucigens and signifcant decreases in the use of ecstasy and nitrous oxide.
  • The number of secondary school pupils nationally who have ever taken drugs has tended to decline in recent years (18% of pupils aged 11 to 15 reported they had ever taken drugs in 2021, down from 24% in 2018) 7.

Local survey data on drug use

In the Wakefield District Adult Health Survey 2023, 3% of respondents said they use any drugs at least monthly or weekly. This varied by ward, with those respondents in Wakefield West and Stanley and Outwood East significantly more likely than the average overall (6% and 7% respectively) and those respondents living in Wakefield Rural and Normanton wards significantly less likely than the average overall (both 0%). Respondents indicated that Cannabis was the only drug being used frequently (3% of people said at least monthly and 10% had tried it once or twice), but 5% of people said they had used powder cocaine once or twice, 4% said they had used Ecstasy once or twice and 2% had used amphetamine, ketamine or nitrous oxide once or twice. Only 1% of respondent said they had illegally obtained prescription drugs once or twice or used image and performance enhancing drugs once or twice 9.

The 2024 Wakefield District School Health Survey asked pupils in years 9 and 12 a range of questions about drug use 8. Overall, a relatively low proportion of Year 9 pupils had been offered or taken the drugs asked about. Fifteen percent had been offered cannabis and 5% had taken it whereas only 5% had been offered nitrous oxide and 3% had taken it. 78% of Year 12 students had never taken drugs with only 2% saying they took them regularly or most days. Cannabis was the most common type of drug ever used by Year 12 students. A small proportion (5%) had ever tried powder cocaine, and smaller percentages had tried other drugs.

Substance Year 12 ever tried
Cannabis 17%
Powder cocaine 5%
Nitrous oxide 4%
Prescription medication (not prescribed) 3%
Amphetamines 1%

From Wakefield District JSNA: School Health Survey 2024

Local data on drug crimes

Drugs offences are categorised into a wide number of offence codes based on drug type. These are broadly grouped into possession offences and trafficking offences (includes supply, production and unlawful importing and exporting).

Within Wakefield District there were 1,097 drug offences recorded by the police in the 12 months to the end of September 2022 10. The longer-term trend had seen a marked reduction in drug crime between 2013 and 2018, followed by an increase. There was a further increase in offences being recorded during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic because of proactive police activity in crime hotspots during the first lockdown. This was sustained, in part due to increased enforcement activity as part of the Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery) programme. Wakefield joined the ADDER programme in July 2021, and the programme as a whole ended in March 2023.

The Wakefield Neighbourhood Impact Team were initiated (in October 2021) through funding from Project ADDER to target drugs supply chains and related criminality whilst also helping those with drug addiction on their way to recovery. In their first year they seized £4m of drugs

Section 23 Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) also allows the police to stop and search people and vehicles if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that someone is in possession of a controlled drug. There were around 850 such stop and searches across Wakefield District in 2022, a similar number to the previous year. There was no further action in around two-thirds of stops, but 15% resulted in an arrest, 19% resulted in community resolution and 2% of people were issued a summons or charged by post 11.

Nationally, the majority of Class A drug seizures are made by the Border Force, while seizures of cannabis plants are nearly exclusively an issue for local police. In 2021/22, nearly 20,000 cannabis plants were seized by police across West Yorkshire, and 50kg of herbal cannabis12.

More comprehensive national survey data on drug use, which might representative of the situation locally

Data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) showed that in the year ending March 2023, an estimated 9.5% of people aged 16 to 59 years (approximately 3.1 million people) reported using a drug in the last 12 months; 7.6% reported using cannabis (around 2.5 million people) and 3.3% reported using a Class A drug (around 1.1 million people).

For most individual drug types, there were no changes in use compared with the year ending March 2020, except for hallucinogens (including magic mushrooms), ecstasy and nitrous oxide. The prevalence of hallucinogen use increased from 0.7% to 1%, ecstasy use fell from 1.4% to 1.1% and nitrous oxide use fell from 2.4% to 1.3%.

Cannabis is the most common drug used (15% of young adults and 8% of all adults used it in the past year). Powder cocaine is the second most commonly used drug among all adults (2% used) and young adults (5%), while nitrous oxide is the third most commonly used drug (4% of young adults used in the past year, down from 9% in the year to March 2020).

The prevalence of drug use is highest amongst the younger age groups and tends to decline with age. Drug use is also higher among men than women.

Drug use is lower among minority ethnic groups than among the White population. While reported drug use prevalence is highest among those from mixed ethnic background, particularly cannabis use, when the younger average age of this group is taken into account, their drug use levels are similar to those in the White population. The lowest overall levels of drug use are reported by people from Asian backgrounds.

All the points above refer to findings from national surveys which can’t be broken down to local authority level. We must assume they are representative of patterns of drug use in Wakefield District, although we might have cause to challenge that assumption.

Among younger adults (aged 18 to 22), the most common reason for taking drugs is for recreation 6. Smaller numbers say it’s just something to do, and others say it helps them deal with stress or as means of self-medicating for an existing mental health condition. Among all adults, drug use is more common among people who have low levels of happiness, self-worth and life satisfaction, or high levels of anxiety. In secondary school pupils in England, there has been a significant increase in pupils saying they take drugs to forget about their problems (up from 16% in 2011 to 27% in 2021, of those that use) (Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England, 2021). The trend in personal well-being in Wakefield District isn’t very different from that seen nationally, but both have seen a decrease in well-being over several recent years (which started before the pandemic) followed by a marked improvement in the latest year (2021/22).

Among younger adults (aged 18 to 22), the most common reasons for not taking drugs are just not having considered it; being concerned about the effects that taking drugs would have on their health; and general concern about the effects the drugs would have on them. Only 25% say they abstain because they are worried about the illegality of drugs.

The majority (46%) of adults obtain drugs from a friend, neighbour or colleague. Many adults (39%), and especially younger adults (56%), say that drugs are easy to obtain.

The number of secondary school pupils nationally who have ever taken drugs has tended to decline in recent years (18% of pupils aged 11 to 15 reported they had ever taken drugs in 2021, down from 24% in 2018) 7. There was a marked increase in 2016 which coincided with the introduction of survey questions about New Psychoactive Substances and nitrous oxide use, but the trend was still upward when these substances were excluded from the total.

Of those secondary pupils that have used, half said they used drugs to get high, little changed on motivations stated back in 2011. Over the decade there has been a reduction the proportion of pupils saying they take drugs because their friends are doing it or because they were offered drugs.

Differences within Wakefield District

  • There are more adult males than females from Wakefield District in treatment. Of those in treatment for opiates in 2021/22, 1,125 were male and 440 were female.
  • The age profile of local people in treatment for opiate use is older than those in treatment for non-opiate use. In 2021/22, only 5% of people in treatment for opiates were aged under 30. By contrast, 51% of people in treatment for non-opiates only were aged under 30.
  • People whose ethnicity is non-white are under-represented in the cohort of Wakefield District residents in treatment for substance use. The non-white ethnic group constitutes 7% of the population but only 2.6% of opiate users in treatment, 1.8% of non-opiate users in treatment and 1.5% of alcohol users in treatment (2021/22).
  • The Wakefield District Adult Health Survey 2023 shows that 5% of people with low mental wellbeing use cannabis at least weekly, which is higher than people with good and high levels of mental wellbeing (Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale).
  • The Wakefield District School Health Survey 2022 found that 9% of pupils with special educational needs had used cannabis compared to 3% of pupils without special educational needs. And 8% of young carers said they had used cannabis, compared to 3% of their counterparts.
Further differences can be seen by expanding the sections below.

Sex

  • National surveys of adult drug use show more males use controlled drugs than females. For example, 9.6% of males used cannabis in the last year compared to 5.2% of females, and 11.8% of males had used any drug in the last year compared to 6.5% of females (England and Wales, year ending June 2022).
  • Local adult survey data show no significant differences between the proportions of males and females saying they have never used cannabis, powder cocaine or nitrous oxide, but females are more likely to say they have never used ecstasy (Wakefield Adult Health Survey 2023).
  • National survey data show no significant difference in prevalence of drug use between boys and girls (age 11 to 15 years). The Wakefield District School Health Survey 2022 found the same (Year 9 pupils).
  • There are more adult males than females from Wakefield District in treatment. Of those in treatment for opiates in 2021/22, 1,125 were male and 440 were female. Of those in treatment for non-opiates only, 195 were male and 80 were female. The inequality was less for those in treatment for alcohol only - 390 were male and 275 were female.
  • There is a similar inequality among young people in treatment for drug use. In 2021/22, 35 of those in treatment were male and 15 were female.
  • Males were seven-times more likely than females to have been stopped and searched by the police for controlled drugs in 2022.

Age

  • National surveys of adult drug use show that younger adults are more likely to have taken a drug in the last year than older adults. Across England and Wales in the year ending June 2022, for example, proportions having taken a drug in the past year range from 23.3% of 20- to 24-year-olds to 2.2% of 55- to 59-year-olds. Differences in drug use by age are also evident in the Wakefield District Adult Health Survey (2023).
    National survey data of secondary school pupils shows proportions of pupils using drugs in the last year ranges from 3% of 11-year-olds to 24% of 15-year-olds (England 2021).
  • The age profile of local people in treatment for opiate use is older than those in treatment for non-opiate use. In 2021/22, only 5% of people in treatment for opiates were aged under 30. By contrast, 51% of people in treatment for non-opiates only were aged under 30. The age profile of people in treatment for opiates has grown older over time - in 2009/10 35% of people in treatment for opiates were aged under 30. Of those in treatment for alcohol only in 2021/22, 32% were age 50 or over.
  • People aged 18 to 24 years in Wakefield District are the most over-represented age group for controlled drugs stop and searches by the police (33% of stop and searches in 2022 but only 8% of the population aged 10+). Those aged 25-34 are also over-represented (28% of stop and searches in 2022 but only 16% of the population aged 10+).

Ethnic group

  • National survey data show drug use is lower among minority ethnic groups than among the White population. While reported drug use prevalence is highest among those from mixed ethnic background, particularly cannabis use, when the younger average age of this group is taken into account, their levels of drug use are similar to those in the White population. The lowest overall levels of drug use are reported by people from Asian backgrounds.
  • People whose ethnicity is non-white are under-represented in the cohort of Wakefield District residents in treatment for substance use. The non-white ethnic group constitutes 7% of the population but only 2.6% of opiate users in treatment, 1.8% of non-opiate users in treatment and 1.5% of alcohol users in treatment (2021/22).
  • Local survey of Year 9 pupils shows no difference by ethnicity in using drugs or being offered drugs.

Living with a disability

  • National survey data show that cannabis use in the last year is higher for people living with a disability (10.7%) than for people without (6.9%) (England and Wales year ending June 2022).
  • 27% of Wakefield District adults presenting for drug use treatment in 2021/22 were living with a disability. Overall this is a similar proportion to the England average, although locally the numbers include a higher proportion of people with a mobility or gross motor disability than is seen nationally.

Wellbeing

  • The Wakefield District Adult Health Survey 2023 shows that 5% of people with low mental wellbeing use cannabis at least weekly, which is higher than people with good and high levels of mental wellbeing (Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale).
  • 67% of Wakefield District adults who entered drug treatment in 2021/22 were identified as having mental health treatment need, a similar proportion to the England average.
  • 57% of Wakefield District young people who entered drug treatment in 2021/22 were identified as having mental health treatment need, a similar proportion to the England average.
  • Among younger adults nationally (aged 18 to 22) 6 21% say using drugs helps them deal with stress and 13% use drugs as means of self-medicating for an existing mental health condition.
  • Among all adults, drug use is more common among people who have low levels of happiness, self-worth and life satisfaction, or high levels of anxiety.
  • Among secondary school pupils in England, there has been a significant increase in pupils saying they take drugs to forget about their problems (up from 16% in 2011 to 27% in 2021, of those that use) 7.

Other population groups

  • The Wakefield District School Health Survey 2022 found that 9% of pupils with special educational needs had used cannabis compared to 3% of pupils without special educational needs. And 8% of young carers said they had used cannabis, compared to 3% of their counterparts.

The responses to substance use

Turning Point is a community-based organisation commissioned by Wakefield Council to deliver the district-wide drugs and alcohol prevention, treatment and recovery service. Inspiring Recovery is the drug and alcohol service for adults aged 25 and over and Inspiring Futures is the young persons and young adults service for those aged under 25. Inspiring Families offers support to families and carers affected by someone’s drug and/or alcohol use. Turning Point activities include providing medication assisted treatment, advice and information, group work, psychosocial interventions, harm reduction interventions, blood borne virus testing and immunisation. The services are delivered in partnership with other health and social care stakeholders through shared care arrangements. These include GP partnerships, the police, the probation service and the NHS mental health trust (SWYPFT).

Prevention activities

Preventing harmful drug use is central to a public health approach, which emphasises tackling the root causes of health and social harms and dependence and aims to reduce the number of people whose drug use has a long-term negative effect on their own and their family’s wellbeing. There are many factors associated with an increased risk of drug problems among young people and adults. These are often factors that lead to other adverse outcomes and risky behaviour, such as mental health problems, offending or risky sexual behaviour.

The prevention work delivered by Inspiring Recovery and Inspiring Futures includes,

  • Outreach, prevention and early intervention to those at risk of drug and/or alcohol use.
  • Specific prevention and early interventions to children and young people to reduce risky behaviours.
  • Information, advice, guidance and support to family members and carers.
  • Basic drug and alcohol awareness training, consultancy and the delivery of brief advice training to local organisations.
  • Local awareness campaigns to promote the drug treatment service and to reduce the stigma around drug and alcohol services.
  • Needle and syringe programmes for the provision, including safe disposal of needles, syringes and other injecting equipment, and advice on safer injecting.
  • Providing Naxolone kits. Naloxone is a medicine that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose.

Local schools are able to sign up to the West Yorkshire Police Pol-ed programme. This provides teachers with lesson plans and schemes of work for a range of topics related to relationships, keeping safe and understanding the law, including addiction. This is a free resource.

The district's 0 to 19 service supports children and young people who are thought to be at risk from their use of alcohol and drugs by providing information and advice on the risks and where appropriate referral to specialist support. The service has step up and step down pathways to young people's substance use services, including support where parental substance use is identified as a contributory factor.

Treatment services

The effectiveness of well-delivered, evidence-based treatment for drug use is well established. UK and international evidence consistently show that drug treatment – covering different types of drug problems, using different treatment interventions, and in different treatment settings – impacts positively on levels of drug use, offending, overdose risk and the spread of blood-borne viruses. For a significant proportion of those entering treatment, drug treatment results in long-term sustained abstinence 13.

The district-wide drugs and alcohol treatment service -

  • accepts referrals from all sources; statutory, voluntary and community as well as self-referral.
  • assesses all children and young people known to the Youth Offending Team (YOT) on statutory interventions.
  • seek to identify the needs of family members, carers or extended family member of the individual who uses drugs.
  • conducts a brief assessment for all eligible individuals who enter the system.
  • undertakes a comprehensive assessment for all individuals receiving structured treatment.
  • for children and young people, delivers specialist psychological interventions, specialist harm reduction, family work (to support families to manage the impact of substance use and enable them to better support the individual in the family), and pharmacological interventions.
  • for adults, harm reduction interventions including advice on safely reducing or stopping using drugs, overdose prevention, sigh-posting to mutual aid groups, Hepatitis B vaccination and Hepatitis C screening), wound care and general health and wellbeing advice and information.
  • delivers structured psychosocial interventions.
  • delivers pharmacological interventions (including the use of Buvidal for clients with opioid dependence).
  • organises supervised dispensing at pharmacies of opioid substitutes.
  • develops Shared Care contracts and payments to GP’s for the delivery of Shared Care services.
  • organises residential rehabilitation as an option for some individuals.

Recovery and support services

All individuals in treatment have a structured recovery plan and the Council supports social prescribing and advocates peer mentoring and volunteering as some of the many ways in which recovery support can be delivered.

  • Get Connected and Out There Everywhere are aftercare services providing psychosocial support in the community supported by a team of trained volunteer peer mentors.

Policy

The commissioning locally of drug use prevention and treatment services is undertaken by Wakefield Council to fulfil its duties within the National Health Service Act 2006 (Section 2B). Priorities, emphasis and strategy are provided by the Government's drugs plan.

National drug misuse strategy - From Harm to Hope

The Government's 10-year drugs plan - From Harm to Hope was launched in 2022 and is comprised of three main strands: breaking drug supply chains; delivering a world-class treatment and recovery system; and achieving a generation shift in the demand for drugs. Combating illegal drugs and the harm they cause is a cross-cutting issue which needs action from a range of partners across all three priorities of the strategy to work collaboratively at a local level. Success is reliant on partners working together to understand their population and how drugs are causing harm in their area.

Locally, the Combating Drugs Partnership (CDP) has been established to reduce the harm caused by drugs and alcohol across the Wakefield District and to deliver From Harm to Hope. This is being achieved by creating a joint strategic approach on delivery across the three priorities of the strategy to ensure that the ambitions of the National Combating Drugs Outcome Framework are met. The CDP is accountable to central government for progress against this framework and future supporting metrics.

Project ADDER

Additional resources for treatment and enforcement were made available when Wakefield District joined the Project ADDER programme in July 2021.
The ADDER programme sought to ensure that more people get effective treatment, with enhanced treatment and recovery provision, including housing and employment support, and improved communication between treatment providers and courts, prisons, and hospitals. The programme ended in March 2023.

Sources

[1] Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. Opiate and crack cocaine use: prevalence estimates, 2023.
[2] National Drug Treatment Monitoring System. NDTMS ViewIt: Adult profiles: Adults in treatment - Wakefield - All in treatment, (accessed November 2024).
[3] Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. Adult Drug Commissioning Support Pack: 2023-24: Key Data, (accessed June 2023).
[4] Office for National Statistics. Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales, 2022.
[5] Office for National Statistics. Drug misuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2023.
[6] Students Organising for Sustainability. Students and Drugs Survey 2020-21.
[7] NHS Digital. Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England, 2021.
[8] Wakefield Council. School Health Survey 2024
[9] BMG. Wakefield District Adult Health Survey May 2023.
[10] LG Inform. Drug offences recorded
[11] National Police Chiefs' Council. data.police.uk
[12] Home Office. Seizures of drugs in England and Wales statistics. (Accessed June 2023)
[13] Department of Health. Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management. July 2017.

Further information

Turning Point - Inspiring Recovery
Information on the support and promotion of wellbeing and recovery from drug and alcohol related issues through Turning Point service hubs located in the Wakefield District.
Inspiring Futures and Inspiring Families
Inspiring Futures is the drug and alcohol service for young persons and young adults under 25. Inspiring Families is for any family member or carer that may be supporting someone who is experiencing drug and/or alcohol issues.
ACMD: Vulnerability and Drug Use
2018 report by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) on the risk factors that make people susceptible to substance use problems and harm.
Frank
The FRANK website was initially established to help deliver the 2010 government drug strategy. The service specifically addresses the objective to reduce demand, by preventing people from taking drugs in the first place.
Guidance and regulation
The latest Government guidance on drug misuse and dependency.