Substance Misuse, 2010-11

Statistics on Substance Misuse in Wales, include data on clients seen at drug and alcohol treatment agencies in Wales for the year to the end of March 2011. The latest annual report updates the statistics previously released on 20 October 2010.

The main source of the data is the Welsh Database for Substance Misuse held by NHS Wales Informatics Service. The data only relates to people presenting to treatment services for substance misuse and these may constitute only a proportion of all substance misusers. The report also includes additional information from other routine data sources including hospital, mortality, education and crime data.

Data in this Report will differ from Reports published previously on the Welsh Government website because of revised / updated data.

Key facts from the WNDSM, 2010-11:

• There were 28,720 referrals for treatment of alcohol or drug misuse notified to the database.
• 53 per cent (15,314) of referrals were related to alcohol misuse (main substance), 40 per cent (11,481) to misuse of drugs and 7 per cent (1,925) of referrals had no main substance reported.
• Heroin accounted for 47 per cent (5,369) of all referrals for which drugs were specified as the main substance, with cannabis (21 per cent) and amphetamines (7 per cent) the next most common drugs.
• Over the 4 year period, the median age for treatment has risen from 37 to 40 for alcohol and from 29 to 32 for heroin.
• 67 per cent of clients referred for any substance were assessed within 10 working days of referral, and 90 per cent of clients were given treatment within 10 working days of assessment.

Key facts from other routine data sources:

• There were a total of 494 alcohol related deaths in Wales (2010) according to ONS, and 152 drug misuse related deaths (2010).
• From 2006 to 2010, hospital admissions for mental and behavioural disorders due to opioids have increased overall by 53.2 per cent (44.4 per cent in males and 68.1 per cent in females).

Further information

StatsWales website.

Contact

Tel: 029 2082 5064
E-mail: stats.healthinfo@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Next update

October 2012 (provisional - to be confirmed on the 'Due Out Soon' page)