Drug services 'improving'

Mental Health Nursing,  Nov 2006  

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Drug treatment services are getting better although more needs to be done to reduce variations in care across the country, according to a report by the Healthcare Commission and the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse.

The bodies' joint review of 149 drug action teams (DATs) assessed performance against national standards. The review looked at whether services prescribe drugs safely and appropriately, as well as plan treatment and coordinate services well.

The review rated 71% of DATs as fair', 23% as 'good', 5% as 'excellent1 and 1% as 'weak'. In addition, one mental health trust and 13 PCTs (4% of the total) received a score of 'excellent1; 21 mental health trusts (38% of the total) and 73 PCTs (24% of the total) received a score of 'good'; 34 mental health trusts (61% of the total) and 211 PCTs (70% of the total) received a score of fair'; and no mental health trusts and six PCTs (2% of the total) received a score of 'weak'.

The Healthcare Commission plans to use the review findings in its annual rating of mental health and primary care trusts.

NTA chief executive Paul Hayes said: The findings of this review will ensure the NTA can focus its work on the areas which are failing their populations, to ensure that the worst performing areas match the quality of delivery elsewhere.'

Copyright Community Psychiatric Nurses Association Nov 2006
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