Drug admissions rise by nearly 500% in Buckinghamshire hospitals
New figures reveal the area is struggling with increased demand
NHS figures show that hospitals across the South East are struggling with drug admissions.
According to new analysis by local drug addiction experts the UK Addiction Treatment Group (UKAT), between 1st April 2019 and 31st March 2020, NHS hospitals in Buckinghamshire admitted 460 people.
This is an increase of 5% on 2018/19 when there were 440 and a 10 year rise of 497% when they admitted just 77 people.
Across the south east hospitals treated 10,780 people last year which was a rise of 10% on the year before,
The number of admissions with a primary or secondary diagnosis of drug-related mental and behavioural disorders represents a rate of 122 per 100,000 South East population.
Nuno Albuquerque, Group Treatment Lead at UKAT says this is expected to get worse:
“Unfortunately we expect these figures to rise again in the next annual report as the impact of the rest of 2020 and the multiple Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions are included in the figures.
“What we’re already seeing is that more and more people across the South East are struggling with drugs, which is resulting in increasing pressure on our already stretched NHS as admissions for mental, behavioural, injuries and poisoning by drugs continue to flood in.
"But, imagine how much worse a person's relationship with drugs may have become during the difficult year of 2020.
“Our local treatment centres - Primrose Lodge in Surrey, Recovery Lighthouse in West Sussex and Banbury Lodge in Oxfordshire- are operating at almost maximum capacity and admitting clients every day for drug-related disorders.
“All we can ask is that Councils across the South East, especially those where the data clearly shows a rise in hospital admissions, choose to invest in effective drug and alcohol treatment strategies this financial year in order to really support those in their communities who are clearly struggling.”