Drink and drug problems add to pressure on NHS in Dorset
The pandemic has caused delays in treatment
Last updated 15th Feb 2022
Hospital admissions have continued to rise in Dorset because of drug and alcohol problems.
Some of the increase is thought to be due to mental health difficulties associated with the pandemic with Covid measures having made access to support services more difficult.
The number of successful treatments has also fallen, thought to be partially due to aftercare support being affected by the pandemic.
A report to the pan-Dorset public health board said there had been delays for inpatient detoxification programmes and residential rehabilitation.
Although a regional inpatient detox unit opened in Fareham during January with bed nights allocated for Dorset and BCP residents needing help, which should help meet demand.
Figures for the BCP area for alcohol related hospital admissions have risen from 591 for each 100,000 population in 2016-17 to the latest count of 635; while in the Dorset Council area the rates have risen from 394 to 416.
In Dorset new presentations for opiate treatment have fallen from 206 to 158 over the same period while alcohol treatments have increased from 399 to 417.
The Dorset area trend for all alcohol and drug treatments is slightly down over the period.
The figures for drug-related hospital admissions have not been made available although the county suffers around 50 drug related deaths a year.
In 2021, 30 of these were in Bournemouth, 6 each for Weymouth and Portland and West Dorset, 4 in Poole, 2 in Purbeck and one in both Christchurch and East Dorset. None were recorded for North Dorset.
Councillors will be told that avoiding drug related deaths remains a priority for public health services and, despite the pandemic, the number of deaths has remained stable.
The report says that testing for blood borne viruses and immunisation has also been affected by the pandemic with fewer patients being seen face to face – although a catch up programme is now underway to address this.