Cuts to Addiction Services Since 2010 [Infographic]

In this blog, we feature a guest post by Paul Harrold, an addiction worker at Cassiobury Court.

Paul unveils Cassiobury Court’s infographic titled “cuts to addiction services in England and Wales since 2010”, which looks at the impact of successive Government cuts to addiction services. Addiction is still stigmatised, and cutting this budget is seen as low hanging fruit to save public money. The infographic informs the public about these cuts and aims to remove the stigma surrounding addiction.

As explained by the infographic, the cuts took hold when the Health and Social Care Act 2012 became law. Under the terms of the Act, the administration of addiction services was transferred away from local NHS Trusts and into the hands of local councils.

Sadly, this law effectively wiped out year-on-year decreases in drug-related deaths. In 2016, drug-related deaths were at an all-time high, higher than in 1993 when ONS first began collecting this type of data.

To view the infographic, please click here.