RSPH has welcomed a review of drug treatment outcomes published by Public Health England (PHE).

The review suggests that health outcomes for people accessing drug misuse treatment services in England compare favourably internationally, although the lack of comparable data collection in many countries makes direct comparison difficult.

However, the review acknowledges that England’s rate of drug-related deaths (34 per million population per year) is twice the European average (17.3 per million population), and warns that this rate is likely to continue to rise as an aging heroin-using population develops more complex health needs.

That most of these deaths occur among users who have never been engaged in treatment reinforces the importance of improving access to services. The proportion of opiate users in contact with treatment services in England is estimated at 60%, above the European average of 50%, but behind some countries such as France which achieves a 76% access rate.

PHE’s review also emphasises the importance of the wider social determinants of health, such as housing and employment, in determining treatment outcomes, and highlights both the impressive return on investment demonstrated by drug treatment and the success of practical harm reduction measures such as needle exchanges and opioid substitution treatment.

Shirley Cramer CBE, Chief Executive of RSPH, said: “PHE’s evidence review demonstrates that a lot of good work is taking place on the ground in our national drug treatment system. Where people are able to successfully access services, their outcomes are encouraging.

“Such success demonstrates the value of adopting a practical harm reduction approach to drugs, and should encourage policy makers to go further down this road, for instance by introducing supervised injection facilities, and by ensuring treatment services are adequately funded.

“However, the UK’s surging drug death rate – which is even worse in the other nations than it is in England – is a reminder that we can and must work harder to engage the most vulnerable users with treatment services, in spite of the challenging health needs many of these people present. It is our continued belief that the decriminalisation of drug use would be a considerable aid in achieving this goal.

“It is concerning that those from more deprived backgrounds still bear the brunt of the harms associated with drug misuse. We therefore welcome the review’s focus on the wider social determinants of health, such as housing and employment, and the importance of a joined-up approach that puts drug users in a stronger position to maintain their recovery.”