HC Deb 17 September 2004 vol 424 cc1902-3W
Brian Cotter

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse has undertaken in Weston-super-Mare since its creation; and how many drug treatment centres it has inspected in the town. [188671]

Miss Melanie Johnson

I have been asked to reply.

The National Treatment Agency (NTA) South West regional team, in its role of performance managing drug action team (DAT) treatment plans, carries out quarterly monitoring of the North Somerset DAT, of which Weston-Super-Mare forms a part. The NTA team has also: given specific additional support to the DAT to improve the quality of its strategic planning; brought in the expertise of the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) to support redesign of the local drug treatment system, focusing specifically on prescribing services; and worked with the DAT and local drug treatment providers to reduce waiting times and improve access. This information is shown in the table.

Waiting time (weeks) by treatment time
June 2004 December 2001
In-patient 1 31
Residential rehabilitation 0 31
Specialist prescribing 3 31
General practitioner prescribing 3 31
Day care 6 31
Structured counselling 4 5

The NTA has not carried out any inspections of drug treatment agencies in England, as this has not been in its remit. However, The NTA is currently working with the Healthcare Commission on an inspection and review programme for drug treatment sell ices, using the badge and authority of the Healthcare Commission and the expertise of the NTA. A pilot scheme is currently in development for roll-out in 2005–06 This will mean all treatment services in Weston-Super-Mare will be subject to a review at some point in the next three years.