§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he proposes to set targets for the reduction in waiting times for drug treatment services. [90899]
§ Ms JowellThe United Kingdom Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator's Annual Report and National Plan details that by 2002 all Drug Action Teams will be required to have established a locally agreed maximum waiting time for admission into a drug treatment service and be monitoring agencies' performance. The Department currently has no plans to set a maximum centrally for waiting times for drug treatment services.
One of the conditions for local authorities to receive Drug and Alcohol Specific Grant moneys in 1999–2000 (about a quarter of them will) is to achieve three targets:
A 10 per cent. increase in the number of problem substance misusers participating in effective treatment and care programmes purchased or provided by local authorities.A reduction in the time spent by problem misusers in waiting for an assessment of their needs, after engaging with a service, to 48 hours.A 10 per cent. increase in the proportion of decisions to approve funding made within two weeks of a misuser having been formally assessed as needing funding for a service.