Alliance response to abolition of the National Treatment Agency

[mcdermott]

Alliance response to the abolition of the National Treatment Agency

Over the last ten years, the UK has witnessed a dramatic expansion in the availability of drug treatment, and in the extent to which it responds to the people who use those services. Although many services and commissioners will tell you that they fully support the emphasis on user involvement in the process of commissioning, developing and improving drug treatment that has been a feature of the last ten years, those of us with long memories will recall the extent to which this actually was a feature of the UK drug treatment landscape before the National Treatment Agency’s existence.

The Alliance then, regrets the plan to lose the independence of the National Treatment Agency. However, given that it is to be abolished, the merger of its functions into a Public Health Service would appear to be a logical place for those functions to sit for the future.

The Alliance hopes that any new body with responsibility for overseeing drug treatment will retain an emphasis on commissioning high quality research into drug treatment, continue the trajectory of service improvement that the NTA has presided over, and continue to fight for the availability of a full range of evidence-based interventions.

We believe it is critical that the new Public Health Service continues the open and constructive dialogue with people who actively engaged in drug treatment, a process that was effectively started under the NTA, and ensure that this work continues to get the resources and priorities that it deserves.

The Alliance looks forward to assisting wherever we can with the transition to the new Public Health Service, and working with them in the same productive manner that we worked with the National Treatment Agency.

Peter McDermott
Policy Lead
on behalf of
The Alliance

[theluckyone]

Conservtive gonna ruin this country..... Again. Labour messed lots up but I'd rather them still be in with a good leader.....The older Milliband brother. Conservtive are just for the rich..... I'm sellin' up n gettin' out as we speak.

[derek d j]

Conservtive gonna ruin this country.....Conservtive are just for the rich..... I'm sellin' up n gettin' out as we speak.

Nobody's forgotten Thatcher, and some of the new bunch may be of traditional Tory bent, but are we in danger of assuming all political addicts to be morally defective junkies?

Fair play to Cameron and his Big Society ideas, public opinion is actively sought in the interim between White Paper and legislative introduction.   'Drug policy' consultations are no exception; interested parties have till Sept 30th to make representation.  Cynics of course may doubt anyone reads the 'public feedback' and will make allowance.  On the other hand, information available to the politicians on the subject of 'drugs' and especially 'drug treatment' is woefully limited and one-sided.  It was a Labour administration that 'sacked' Dr Nutt.   This goverment badly wants success and things that work are generally successful.  Its a lot easier to bitch about whats wrong than working out how to make it right.   I don't envy Lansley  his job.   What, actually, can he do about 'drug treatment services'?

'Drug policy' proposals and the rest are all a google away..




















Its all online. W