NDTMS Annual Report 2006

The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) is a system that collects data on problem drug users in treatment and is designed predominantly to monitor services. This paper reports on information held in the NDTMS database for the years 2004/05 and 2005/06. During 2005/06 about 9000 people were treated in about 125 agencies.

• The number of clients reported to NDTMS is increasing. However, this appears to be consistent with more people in treatment, rather than an increase in the actual level of problem drug users (PDUs).
  
• The quality of data referred to NDTMS is improving with a reducing amount of missing data.
  
• A typical reported North East PDU is white, male, aged 25 to 29 and his primary drug is heroin.
  
• Although heroin is consistently the most commonly referred primary drug, it is reducing as a proportion of all drug groups.
  
• Although the proportion of all PDUs currently injecting is reducing, the proportion of heroin users who inject is increasing.
  
• Cannabis and benzodiazepine are the most reported second and third drugs, however there has been a shift: Cannabis was referred most frequently in 2004/05 and benzodiazepines in 2005/06.
  
• The majority of PDUs self refer, however young people are far more likely to come into treatment through the Youth Offending Service (YOS).
  
• The proportion of criminal justice referrals has increased over time.
  
• Consistently the most common form of treatment for adults is specialist prescribing, and young people tend to receive young peoples psychosocial intervention.
  
• Less than 2% of treatments are inpatient detoxification or residential rehabilitation.
  
• There are a number of clear differences between the data for young people and adults. Young people make up around 5.5% of PDUs but have about 17% of the number of services; they are most likely to have been referred for cannabis use; and they are very likely (63%) to complete treatment.
  
• 44% of discharges are classified as satisfactory, i.e. treatment completed, treatment completed drug free, or referred on.
  
• It is not currently possible to analyse hidden harm, such as the number of children with whos parents are problem drug users, from the NDTMS database.
  

• Drugs

• Drug Abuse
• Drug Dependency
• Drug User
• Drugs Misuse
• Drugs Of Addiction Education
• Needle Exchange
• Needle Use
• Substance Misuse