Treatment Strategy

Treatment services and partners operate as a 'Treatment System'  We ensure that drug users/ex users, parents carers and affected carers are all engaged in the commissioning process.  The focus of planning and commissioning is to ensure each individual's 'treatment journery' effective, holistic and accessible.

Treatment agencies are commissioned to provide services primarily for drug users. However, there has been an emphasis to improve services for drug users who use alcohol as a secondary drug of choice and for BDAT to develop partnerships with alcohol service providers.

The three main aims of the Treatment Plan are:

• Entry and engagement of drug users into services
• Retention and completion of the treatment which drug users receive in services
• Aftercare and successful integration into communities for drug users exiting treatment.

Treatment Plan

This Plan outlines the partnership strategy based on assessment of the needs of drug users and affected others living in Birmingham.  The strategy outlines a series of objectives set at both a national and local level and matches resources available to meet those objectives.

For a copy of the 2007/08 Treatment Plan please click here

Community Context

Birmingham has a total resident population of 1,000,000 of which 48% are male and 52% female.  30%of the population are 19 and under, 15% 20-29, 37% 30-59 and 19% 60 and over.  70% of the population is white, 19% Asian or Asian British and 6% Black or Black British.  The estimated number of problematic drug users is approximately 11,000 according to latest estimates.

The highest rate of drug users per population in the Heart of Birmingham where eight out of nine wards are some of the 5% most deprived wards in England.  The lowest prevalence rate (3 per 1000 population) can be found in the north of the city. 

In 2004/5 approximately 5,000 individuals were engaged in treatment of which 24% were female and 76% were male.  Of these numbers in treatment, 10% were 19 and under, 51% 20-29, 28% 30-39 and 11% 40 and over.  Of these 69% were White British, 14% were Asian or Asian British and 7% Black or Black British.  The primary drug used by individuals is heroin (82%) followed by crack freebase (50%).

In Birmingham there is a clear link between crime and drug use, the test results so far indicate that 40-50% of acquisitive crime related to drug misuse as well as clearly illustrating links between prostitution and drug use with about 90% of people arrested in prostitution offences using either crack or heroin.  The composite average of repeat offenders, class A offences and 999 overdose call-outs show high activity across the city with Ladywood being overrepresented by double the average score.  Other significant areas are Aston, Handsworth, Soho, Washwood Heath, Sparkbrook, Kingstanding and Kings Norton.

Offenders are then assessed and referred into treatment services where they are presented with a range of treatment interventions most appropriate to their presenting need.  Treatment services and criminal justice agencies work in partnership to deliver a co-ordinated plan of care to change offending behaviour and successfully reintegrate offenders back into the community.

In relation to the links between crime and drug use, information is becoming increasingly available and is being mapped and analysed to demonstrate trends and profiles of drug related offending.  The information however, is a snapshot only, as police information relates to police arrest activity rather than overall offending.  This mapping can however be combined with other sources of information to give a more accurate picture.

The peak age for Class A drug offenders is in the early twenties, whereas the peak age for those in treatment is the mid twenties, though there are still significant numbers in treatment into the forties.  The average age groups of those in treatment show that heroin and crack in combination is used by the youngest age group followed by heroin only, heroin with other groups and finally crack with other drugs.  This is some indication of the increased trends of poly drug use and an increase in the use of crack.  Of individuals in treatment at least 117 drugs in combination are used with at least 47 different drug types encountered.

The number of drug related deaths in Birmingham is low and may be related to the relatively low levels of injecting behaviour.