END OF THE LINE FOR THE NTA?

AND FOR THE ACMD?

Iain Duncan Smith MP has given a speech in which he calls for the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse to be replaced. He also advocates for rehab places to be quadrupled - and filled with referred patients.

Addiction Today reports his speech here, along with other policy recommendations from the Centre for Social Justice for the next government.

As a member of the Prisons and Addictions committee of the apolitical Centre for Policy Studies think-tank, Addiction Today editor Deirdre Boyd can confirm that it, too, calls for the abolition of the NTA.

Other groups drafting policy proposals are making the same recommendation.

To learn why this move receives such strong support, simply enter NTA into the site-search box near the top of the left-hand column of this webpage for articles on outcomes during its regime.

Comments

[Keith Biggar]

Good news indeed, not before time that not only the NTA is to be replaced but, hopefully, the whole structure, strategy and philosophy of drug and AND alcohol treatment in England. The present system should be reviewed and replaced with a better and more service user orientated and led treatment programme.It is time to move away from criminal jusice dominated drug treatment, driven by "inaccurate outcomes" data and "post-code lottery" alcohol treatment.

[Debbie]

Iain Duncan Smith has made my day... what will become of the regional reps who have been cultivated into a cult of clones who preach the same language and use the same analogies to deliver their philosophy...am sure there are plenty of agencies out there who would re-employ them as drug workers, be interesting to see how they get on with outcomes?

[BH]

Whilst I agree that it is good time to review the function of the NTA and look towards a more quasi NICE function I would call for some careful thought being given over to what next. I agree that there is little place for the Regional Function of the NTA. It is a costly and less than productive function that serves simply to over bureaucratise things.

Residentail treatment is NOT the answer to all of our ills. We need to ensure a balanced approach to treatment. Can we also stop counting beans and actually look at the quality of what is provided (community and Residential/In-patient) and start to look at whether people are actually getting better. Look at effecting real changes in behaviours.

However, we need to guard against a "Clearance Sale" stampede from one extreme to the other. Careful thought needs to be given to what next.

Treat local areas like grown ups and let's look to providing treatment to meet the identified need in localities. Lets not lose the resources we have increased and lets not lose the postives that have resulted from a greater focus upon treatment but lets use these resources to benefit patients, their carers and their families as well as the comunities within which they live.

Post code lottery is not necessarily a bad thing as long as treatment and support is appropriately targeted in each "post code" to meet the actual level of need.

[Addictions UK]

We hope that the new Coalition Government will examine the need for more treatment and recovery programmes. Our view, as a small social enterprise comprising of recovering alcoholics, drug addicts and "carers" is that the Public Sector - including the NTA and many DAATS has been an unmitigated bureaucratic disaster. Iain Duncan Smith is correct in his call for change.

We look forward to the drug and alcohol addictions agenda moving to deal with more health related issues for those who need help. People with drug and alcohol dependency problems need affordable, effective and confidential help -and that should be easily accessed. The maze of bureaucracy people have to deal with makes this recovery process hard to access.

We observe the debate with great interest. The NTA are still planning new conferences for the autumn of 2010 - perhaps they think that they are safe from the Chancellor's axe?

Now is the time to change ...

[Ed]

It all sounds good - but there needs to be more criminal justice involvement in addiction recovery where it is needed, because the present situation is making a mockery of our drug laws. This isn't surprising, though, as Nutt was coming from the unintelligent position that "all drugs should be legalised", which is as rigid and ideological as saying that "all drug use should be punished by imprisonment".

IDS's concept of an Addiction Recovery Board also sounds good, but I'd also like to see present and former Drugs Squad officers serving on it.