Hospital cases double in city

Hospital admissions in Sunderland for patients with drug-related mental health issues have more than doubled in the last four years.

Charities have said this shows people are more candid with doctors about substance abuse, as well as difficulty accessing rehab services.

Between April 2017 and March 2018, there were 615 admissions for mental illnesses or behaviour disorders where the main cause or a contributing factor was drugs.

According to the latest NHS England figures, that is a rise of 114% from four years ago, when these records began.

A spokesman for Sunderland City Council said in response to the figures that preventing drug abuse is among one of the city’s “key priorities”.

Of Sunderland’s 615 admissions, 465 were men and 150 were women. Drugs tended to be a contributing factor for mental health issues, rather than the main cause. There were 80 cases where they were diagnosed as the primary reason for behaviour disorders.

These figures only indicate the number of admissions, not patients. They could include one patient who has been to hospital several times over the year.

Across England, there was a 27% rise in drug-related admissions over the last four years.

The rate of drug-related mental health admissions in Sunderland is 233 per 100,000 people, the same as the North East on average.

The figures also show the number of admissions for patients who have overdosed on illegal drugs, such as ecstasy or heroin.

From April 2017 to March 2018 there were 55 admissions, a slight decrease of three cases, on the previous year.

Compared with four years ago there has been a 4% decrease in hospital admissions for illegal drugs overdoses.