More overdose cases treated in North hospitals

Aug 15 2008 by Sam Wood, The Journal

MORE adults in the North East have been admitted to hospital for class A drug overdoses than in any other part of the country, health service figures have revealed.

The shock report, which was released by the NHS information centre yesterday, shows that between 2006/7 38 people out of every 100,000 adults in the region were taken to hospital for drug poisoning due to class A drugs, including cocaine and Ecstasy.

That was the highest rate in the country, with only the North West coming close at 32 admissions per 100,000 people.

Rates of overdoses for amphetamines, tranquillisers and cannabis were also high in the region compared to the rest of the country.

But health authorities played down the significance of the figures last night.

Yvette Lloyd, of the North East National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, said: “There is nothing unique about the North East in terms of drug use as far as we are concerned. It is an urban area and other areas with similar levels of deprivation have similar problems.

“We have drug abuse partnerships working in the region between PCTs, police and local authorities. They work with accident and emergency wards to help individuals who come to hospital with drug abuse problems.”

Newcastle MP Jim Cousins said it was the policy of sending drug users for treatment rather than criminalising them which was increasing the figures.

He said “I’m not sure we have that much of a higher drug use in this part of the country, it is hard to say.

“In the Northumbria Police area I think we take a very sensible approach which is to encourage drug users to go and seek treatment.

“We don’t just deal with them through the justice system, we try to get them to help themselves by going for treatment. It may be this approach which is bumping up our figures, but I believe it is the correct approach to take.

“I’m not being complacent about this. Drug use is a tremendously serious problem. Many people do not complete their treatment.

“There is are difficult choices to be made by all the professionals involved with this issue.”

Overall across the country there was an increase in the number of people admitted to hospital for drug overdoses.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: “Labour should not underestimate how bleak a picture these figures paint. Clearly too few people who misuse drugs are being identified and admitted to drug rehabilitation courses early on, which has contributed to this worrying rise in admissions to hospitals.

“As drugs get stronger, the harm they are doing to young peoples’ mental health is increasing.”

Case study

THE father of a young man who died after taking Ecstasy at a party said he found the health service figures shocking and upsetting.

Anthony Henderson, 44, who lost his 22-year-old son Christopher a year ago, said it hurt him that so many people were willing to ignore the dangers of drugs.

The supervisor for Debenhams, who lives with wife Julie and their son Alexander, four, in Longridge, Winlaton, Gateshead, said he thinks every day about what happened to Christopher .

"I didn’t think the figures would be so high. It’s shocking and upsetting, to be honest," he said.

"Everyone just treats drugs as part of life now, which is sad.

"It really frustrates me that people don’t seem to care about the dangers.

"Everyone expects, at some stage in their life, to have to bury their parents. No one looks forward to it, but you expect it. To have to bury your child is the worst thing."

Mr Henderson said newspaper images of celebrities who openly take class A drugs was adding to the problem.

"It really upsets me when I see famous faces splashed across the front page doing it.

"These new figures will shock for now but the problem will be back to normal in no time."