Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 29
29
Accepted
Paragraph: 105
Embed specialist practical and mental health support for families of drug users.
Recommendation
We recommend that local authorities use the funding allocated under the 10-Year Drugs Strategy to embed specialist practical and mental health support within drug treatment and support services for the families and the loved ones of people who use, or used, drugs.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepted the recommendation, confirming that the £533 million Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grant allocated to local authorities can be used to develop local services supporting families and carers, including embedding specialist mental health support. OHID also provides guidance for local areas on this.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
105
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The Government accepts this recommendation. In 2023–24 local authorities earmarked over £10 million from the SSMTR grant to improve integrating responses to physical and mental health for people receiving drug and alcohol treatment in the community. This includes increasing the ability to identify, assess and ensure effective intervention for physical and mental co-occurring conditions, expanding psychosocial responses to common mental health problems within the treatment and recovery system, and expanding Alcohol Care Teams in hospitals. OHID and NHS England are also developing a Joint Action Plan to improve access to mental health treatment for people using drugs and alcohol. This will also include looking at ways to improve links between services, including encouraging better referral pathways in each direction and more joint working practices. It will also consider training requirements for mental health staff to improve knowledge and skills around co-occurring conditions within mental health settings. In addition, we are increasing the psychological support available in services through our workforce transformation programme. This is supported by the Drug Strategy commitment of 800 more medical, mental health and other professionals working in the sector by 2024/25. 18 new Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners started in drug and alcohol services in 2022/23. This new role was developed to provide wellbeing-focused psychologically informed interventions and coordinate care plans for adults with severe mental health problems in community mental health services. The strategic plan for the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce to be published later this year includes commitments to increase the number of psychologists in the sector. We welcome the Government’s ambition to reduce demand for drugs including recreational drugs. However, we have heard concerns that the three-tiered framework of escalating sanctions under the Swift, Certain, Tough: New Consequences for Drug Possession White Paper may have a negative impact in, for example, perpetuating stigma and in relation to young people.
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