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1240/5/1(436)
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
BY DEPUTY M. R. HIGGINS OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 18TH JULY 2017
Question
Will the Minister advise Members:
- how many people attending the Drug and Alcohol Service are addicted to opiates;
- how many of those people are being treated with Methadone;
- how many people who need Methadone are not being given the drug due to insufficient funds allocated for dealing this form of addiction; and
- how many people are addicted to other drugs, identifying what those drugs are and the treatment offered in each case?
Answer
- how many people attending the drug and alcohol service are addicted to opiates; As of 12th July, 130 individuals were addicted and being treated for an opiate addiction.
From January 1st 2017 until 12th July, 28 individuals were referred to the Alcohol and Drug Service with opiates as their primary drug problem.
All were offered assessment for their opiate problem which might have included: illicit buprenorphine, heroin, illicit pharmaceutical opiates, and prescribed pharmaceutical opiates or over the counter opiate pain killers or a mixture of these. If clinically indicated, they would have been offered an opiate substitution programme delivered within UK best practice guidelines.
- how many of those people are being treated with Methadone;
As of 12th July 2017, the Alcohol and Drug Service was treating 81 people on a Methadone Substitution programme for an opiate dependency.
- how many people who need Methadone are not being given the drug due to insufficient funds allocated for dealing this form of addiction;
None
- how many people are addicted to other drugs, identifying what those drugs are and the treatment offered in each case.
As of 12th July 2017, the Service was treating 49 people with an opiate addiction with an opiate substitute medication called Buprenorphine. (This is in addition to the 81 individuals already receiving Methadone ie a total of 130 individuals receiving an opiate substitution programme.)
The Service is are also treating 19 individuals who have a concurrent benzodiazepine addiction alongside their opiate addiction. Clinicians are prescribing them diazepam on a reducing programme in accordance with UK best practice guidelines. Alongside this, they are being offered harm reduction advice, psychosocial interventions and relapse prevention advice according to the particular needs of the individual.
Other drug addictions referred to the Alcohol and Drug Service in 2017, not including opiate referrals
- There have been 7 referrals for benzodiazepine use. The treatment includes assessing the levels of dependency, discussing this with the individuals and their GPs and recommending a programme for reducing use in accordance with UK best practice guidelines.
- There have been 12 referrals for cannabis use. The numbers for cocaine, ecstasy, new psychoactive substances (NPS) and solvent use are collectively too small to disclose as individuals could be identifiable. The treatment for all of these includes assessing the levels of dependency and offering treatment in accordance with how the client wishes to proceed and their need (to either reduce their use or come off) in accordance with UK best practice guidelines. This would include harm reduction messages, psychosocial interventions, clinical interventions and looking at relapse prevention interventions.