ADDICTION AID CRISIS
THIRTY thousand people in England are trapped and “forgotten” suffering from both mental health and addiction problems, says charity Turning Point.
Victims include former football star Paul Gascoigne. Turning Point says government-imposed NHS cuts mean the crisis is costing taxpayers billions of pounds a year in emergency interventions.
It says GPs, clinics and care services cannot cope and the burden falls on A&E units and the police.
The group wants more funding for those with the dual diagnosis – and extra GP training to help to ease the crisis. Turning Point’s chief executive Lord Adebowale said: “People with mental health and substance misuse issues are labelled ‘hard to reach’ when it’s the service that is hard to access.”
Public Health England says dealing with drug and alcohol misuse costs the country £ 36billion- a- year. Fifty-five per cent of those with mental health needs also have problems with substance or alcohol abuse, often both. And more than three-quarters of alcohol misusers also have a mental health problem.
Turning Point said at least half the 65,000 people who accessed its services in more than 200 locations in England last year had a dual diagnosis.
Lord Adebowale added: “This forgotten population is being failed by the system because of the many barriers they face when seeking support.”