A plea has been made to the Government to continue its funding for essential drug and alcohol treatment services that are commissioned by Cambridgeshire County Council.
Cllr Richard Howitt, Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Adults & Health Committee, said the success of the current treatment programme would be put in jeopardy if Government funding stopped.
The additional grant funding stems from the 10-year national “From Harm to Hope Strategy”. During the first three years of the strategy Cambridgeshire received over £4m of additional grant funding.
This investment has enabled improvements in the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment services, and wider support services, across Cambridgeshire. However, this initial investment will end in March 2025 which will significantly affect the service provider, Change Grow Live, ability to maintain the service improvements.
The uncertainty surrounding the continuation of the grant, has led to plans being put in place to manage the risks if funding were to end.
The Adults & Health Committee heard that Cambridgeshire is statistically below England for all drug type misuse and statistically similar to England for alcohol dependency. However, there are still over 600,000 people across the country estimated to be dependent on drugs and/or alcohol but not receiving treatment.
Cllr Howitt said if funding is reduced or withdrawn, it could impact the work specifically being done at the moment with vulnerable groups such as rough sleepers and the homeless, and those in contact with the criminal justice system.
The grant has also enabled other services to be provided, such as the funding of transport costs to clinical appointments, collection of medication from pharmacies and overall engagement in treatment. It has also funded two specialist citizen advice bureau workers dedicated to the treatment service to help address cost of living pressures.
If funding stopped, there would be a long-term legacy of increased numbers in treatment services with a depleted workforce thereby putting a strain on core services and the wider system.
Cllr Howitt added: “The service we commission to treat drug and alcohol dependency is vital and at times literally life-saving and I think it is important to feed back to Government in advance of the Budget, the need to continue funding it in Cambridgeshire. I don't want simply to wait and see, when we know there would be wide ranging impact on existing service users and those wanting to access treatment, but to ensure their voices are heard when the final decision is made. This is not a service we can afford to lose.”
