Alcoholics missing out over treatment in Shropshire
People with an alcohol dependency in Shropshire are failing to attend treatment programmes, according to figures released by Public Health England.
Only one in every five people with alcohol dependency is attending any treatment programme in the Shropshire Council area, according to new figures. In Telford & Wrekin, only a quarter of people with a drink problem are in treatment.
Mental health and alcohol charities have called on the Government to increase funding for these services and make the process to apply for support easier.
According to Public Health England only 21 per cent of alcohol-dependent residents in Shropshire went for any therapy in 2016-17 – although that compares to 19 per cent on average in England. This proportion was better two years earlier when 31 per cent received psychological treatment.
In Telford & Wrekin, the figures show that 26 per cent of alcohol-dependent residents went for any therapy in 2016-17. Two years previously the figure stood at 28 per cent.
Public Health England estimates that Shropshire had 2,883 people suffering from alcoholism and in Telford & Wrekin, 1,949 people were alcohol dependent based on a national survey of 7,500 adults across England.
Problems
The survey revealed that nationally, men were more likely than women to drink at hazardous levels.
Men and women claiming benefits were more likely to be harmful or mildly dependent drinkers than those who were not.
Julie Breslin, the alcohol specialist for the mental health charity Addaction, put this low proportion of drinkers receiving assistance down to public budget cuts, among other factors.
She said: "Cuts in local authority funding, up to half in some cases, means services are expected to see more people with fewer resources.
"Dependent alcohol use will often present with other complex issues including socio-economic problems, cognitive impairment, depression and health issues. It's crucial that service design makes sure treatment is as accessible and flexible as possible."
James Nicholls, director of research and policy development at Alcohol Research UK, added: "In some local authorities, cuts in alcohol services have been enormous. In some cases, this means there are not alcohol specialists, and alcohol and drug dependents are mixed in therapies. That is not a welcoming environment for them."
Among those who attended therapy in 2016 in Shropshire, 36.1 per cent completed the treatment successfully, and in Telford & Wrekin, the figure was 49 per cent.
