Drug addiction care boost

New drug care guidance has been welcomed by Weston MP John Penrose, who has long campaigned for better drug treatment.

Mr Penrose set up the Cleaner Weston Campaign in 2004 to tackle drug problems in the town, which contains several rehabilitation centres.

The campaigned called for a number of changes including new accreditation and inspection schemes to ensure rehabs provide high quality treatment. He also wants addicts' care to be paid by the agency which referred them to a particular rehab, rather than leaving local tax payers to foot the bill. He also says addicts should be provided with effective follow-up care, so they are not abandoned after initial treatment.

New NHS guidance on treating drug addicts – a best practice guide – has now been published.

It was amended to include some of Mr Penrose's proposals and now sets out the best practice for residential rehabs and gives a clear description of how treatments can be made more effective.

Mr Penrose said: "This guidance is a major step in the right direction.

"I'm delighted that the Government have learnt some of the lessons from Weston and have altered the guidance to reflect them.

"Inspection and accreditation schemes can weed out dodgy rehabs, so more addicts will get the high-quality help they need to break the cycle of drug addiction and the crime needed to fund it. That's good for the addicts and good for local residents too.

"Equally, the cost of treating addicts who are sent to Weston from other parts of the country shouldn't fall on local tax payers.

"I'm delighted that the Government have accepted this principle for the initial costs of treatment, but they still need to apply it to the other related social costs like housing and post-treatment support as well.

"I'm also not convinced that the Government has plugged the gaps in follow-up care yet either."