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Deaths in England and Wales from drugs such as heroin have risen since 2010.
Deaths in England and Wales from drugs such as heroin have risen since 2010. Photograph: Paul Faith/PA
Deaths in England and Wales from drugs such as heroin have risen since 2010. Photograph: Paul Faith/PA

Risk of death from drugs up 55% since 2010 due to government cuts, say experts

This article is more than 2 years old

UCL study finds lack of access to treatment contributed to fatalities amid criticism that latest strategy will stigmatise users

The likelihood of users dying from drugs such as heroin has increased 55% since the Conservative party came to power in 2010, according to research that suggests the government’s new drug strategy will merely begin to restore some of the support it dismantled in the first place.

A University College London (UCL) and University of Bristol study, published on Saturday, indicates that the high-profile strategy will start to repair some of the damage caused by Tory cuts to drug treatment services since 2010, a decade during which thousands died from an overdose. The 10-year strategy was unveiled last week by prime minister Boris Johnson, promising local authorities in England £780m for the drug treatment system.

It follows an ongoing rise in drug deaths in England and Wales to their highest level since records began in 1993, with 4,561 people dying last year. In a study to be published in the Lancet Public Health medical journal, researchers attempted to definitively answer why drug deaths had risen over the last decade. Their findings dispel one of the most common explanations: that as the population of opioid users ages, the chances of them dying increases.

Sajid Javid said more than half of people dependent on opiate and crack cocaine were not engaged in treatment. Photograph: Tayfun Salcı/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

Instead, the study argues that “disinvestment” in drug treatment services was a potential key factor, noting that a government-sponsored review last year concluded services were struggling to meet the basic needs of users. The report says: “The increasing number of fatal drug poisonings over the past 10 years in the population is not explained by population ageing.

“Community drug treatment services are sometimes the only point of contact between people who use illicit opioids and health services, and cuts in funding have meant that these now provide a narrow range of services with little scope for holistic care.”

Dan Lewer, research fellow at UCL’s department of epidemiology and public health, said a reduction in the availability of treatments such as methadone for drug addiction was a prime factor. He said: “I would argue that, based on the big protective benefit of those services like methadone, and the big increased risk of death when people leave that treatment, that it’s the prime candidate for that increased risk.”

Lewer said the government’s 2012 Health Act, which transferred much public health work from the NHS to councils – whose budgets were cut by a third – meant crucial drug support and treatments were badly weakened. In 2012, there were 2,597 drug poisoning deaths registered, more than 40% fewer than the latest figures.

Lewer added that while the potential to mend some of the harm inflicted over the last decade was “absolutely crucial”, some of the strategy’s language was unhelpful, such as its frequent references to “drug misuse”.

He said: “The language is stigmatising and talks about addicts, criminals, and punishment. That’s not helpful and pushes people further to the margins of society. It’s in everyone’s interest to support this group and invest in needle exchanges, good quality treatment, and services that actually help.”

The strategy has also drawn criticism for being presented by politicians, including the prime minister, as part of a crackdown on middle-class drug users. Experts and the police say the issue cannot be defined or targeted along class boundaries.

The study also found that heroin users are much less likely to engage with health services, which meant they are twice as likely to die from chronic health problems such as cancer and heart disease than from an overdose.

Compared with people of the same age in the general population, those who use heroin are three times more likely to die due to cancer, and four times more likely to die from heart disease, with homelessness, poverty and mental health problems being a factor.

Lewer added that the study’s statistical analysis only went up to 2018 because data becomes less reliable after that year, although researchers said there was no indication the chances of dying from a drugs overdoses have since reduced.

Promoting the strategy last Monday, the health secretary Sajid Javid said that more than half of people dependent on opiate and crack cocaine were not engaged in treatment and needed to be addressed.

The Home Office has been contacted for comment.

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