REHABS - NOVEMBER 2011 SNAPSHOT

On 7 November 2011 with a deadline of 11 November 2011, Concordat members were emailed the question “How could/does NDTMS* artificially lower your successful completion rates?”. 

The overwhelming trend was patients waiting too long for referrals to rehab, during which their addictive disorders progressively worsened to levels necessitating the most expensive cost and care: hospital emergency admissions.

Examples from one rehab include:
1. Clients admitted so ill that they need hospital admission immediately: 2 clients were admitted and passed away in hospital 3 days later due to liver failure.
2. Clients admitted then diagnosed with Korsokoff’s so transferred to an appropriate setting (4% in 12 months)
3. Clients admitted with urgent medical appointments to attend during their stay; results of appointments were that their physical health took priority; placement cut short.

Read the report here:
Download Rehabs and NDTMS - Addendum to The State of Residential Rehabilitation in England

Related document:
Download The State of Residential Rehabilitation in England - Nov 2011

* NDTMS is the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System, and there have been ongoing concerns among providers and others about misinterpretations of data input to the system, and that this gives an inaccurate picture to government  and taxpayers of how implementation does or does not reflect drug policy aims.

Comments

[hdjemil]

These are both excellent pieces of work that highlight the raw truth of just how hard it is to get into rehab in this country and the toll this takes on those managing to finally get in.

Tier 3 prescribing services dominate the treatment system and have the power to regulate the flow into resi rehab. This combined with often poor or variable commissioning and professional practice conspires to keep resi rehab numbers low and deprives the client of the care s/he needs.

Government needs to get a grip here and the longer it waits the more harm to clients, their families and society will be caused.

See my recommendations from article commissioned in addiction today magazine below:

http://www.addictiontoday.org/addictiontoday/2011/10/commissioning-recovery-coherent-picture.html

I am surprised we have not seen litigation on this issue, either on a personal basis or as a class action against the relevant parties.

Perhaps litigation will provide the motivation for systemic change!!

all the best

Huseyin