The cost of providing effective drug treatment to individual addicts has fallen by one-fifth over the last five years, according to an analysis by the National Audit Office.

A report published today (Thursday 4 March 2010), Tackling Problem Drug Use, shows that treatment programmes have delivered greater efficiency and better value for money from the record levels of investment in recent years.

The number of adults in effective treatment programmes rose by 45 per cent over five years, while the average cost per person fell to £3,000 for the first time – a 19 per cent drop from its peak.  Paul Hayes, chief executive of the National Treatment Agency, said: "Anyone who now needs treatment can get it quickly, and record numbers of drug users are receiving help. The numbers dropping out of treatment early are falling, the numbers staying in long enough to benefit are rising, and the numbers successfully completing treatment for dependency are increasing year on year."  

Mr Hayes added: "We have always known that society benefits from effective drug treatment because it cuts crime, improves public health and fosters stable family relationships. We can now demonstrate how the treatment system has risen to the challenge of delivering greater productivity for taxpayers as well."

The NAO concludes that drug treatment is making good progress on key indicators of its quality, effectiveness, and accessibility, including an increase in the numbers of problem drug users leaving treatment free of dependency from 6,000 to 15,000 between 2004/5 and 2008/9. 

The report noted that the quality of evidence for the effectiveness of drug treatment was "robust" and highlighted research findings that drug treatment saves the taxpayer £2.50 for every £1 invested. 

The NTA said it would review all of the report's findings and implement those recommendations applicable to drug treatment. Building on the progress being made, the NTA is working with local commissioners to ensure their local treatment systems achieve more recovery-focused outcomes.  

Notes
The figures for the improved value for money of drug treatment are from Figure 5 of the NAO report, p.24 (copied below). They are sourced from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) which is the key source of information for monitoring the numbers in treatment for the Government's drug strategy. 

The NAO analysis compares the NDTMS figures with the total amount spent on adult drug treatment since 2004/5, adjusted for inflation according to the Treasury deflator and taking 2008/9 as the base year.   

Effective treatment is defined as successfully completing a course of treatment, or being in treatment for at least 12 weeks. Research shows that addicts who spend this period in treatment will derive some benefit (eg reduced drug-use and reduced offending) even if they are not yet ready to leave.