Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Accepted
Stigma surrounding alcohol dependency, especially with drug users, prevents people seeking treatment.
Conclusion
Even once people accept they may have a problem, issues with stigma can prevent them from accessing help. For example, we heard that people often feel a sense of shame at being unable to “drink responsibly”.36 Dame Carol described the particular challenge for people early in their alcohol-dependency journeys in overcoming the stigma of attending treatments alongside a drug-dependent person.37 We heard there was some evidence that alcohol had possibly lost out to drugs as far as treatment was concerned and that a separate ‘alcohol-only’ treatment offer aimed specifically at clients with alcohol dependency could make services more accessible and encourage more people into treatment sooner.38 Dame Black suggested that GP services and outreach could be used more to deliver services.39
Government Response Summary
The government agrees, aiming for Spring 2025, and is developing UK-wide clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment to address barriers, a joint action plan with NHS England for co-occurring mental health and substance misuse conditions, and supports local authorities in identifying engagement barriers.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2025 4.2 Increasing the numbers of dependent alcohol and drug users in treatment is a key aim of the additional drug strategy investment. 4.3 The department is providing a range of support to all local authorities for identifying and addressing barriers to engagement with treatment, including interpretation of local data, advice on specific treatment pathways, troubleshooting and sharing of best practice. Further targeted support is also provided to high priority areas for service improvement. 4.4 The department, in partnership with the devolved administrations, is developing the first UK-wide clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment, which include guidance for commissioners and services on addressing barriers to treatment. The guidelines will go out for public consultation in Summer 2023 and final guidelines will be published later in the year. 4.5 The department and NHS England are developing a joint action plan to address co-occurring mental health and drug/alcohol-related conditions. This programme of work will improve access to mental health services for people with drug and alcohol misuse conditions, as well as improve the links between mental health and substance misuse services. 4.6 The department already published the Commissioning Quality Standard for drug and alcohol treatment services in August 2022. This includes requirements for local authorities to engage with other local services, such as mental health providers, to provide coordinated packages of care that support recovery, including for people with co-occurring mental health conditions.