Officials working to develop proposals for £1m allocation for Derry addiction services
Officials have been looking at how best to develop proposals for the allocation of £1m for addiction services in Derry.
Foyle MLA Ciara Ferguson has been told work is underway after asking what commitment the Department of Health had made to ‘help complete or agree the business case for the Northlands Addiction Centre’.
Prior to leaving office when the deadline for the formation of an Executive passed, erstwhile Health Minister Robin Swann confirmed work was ongoing to progress the commitment for a detox centre in the ‘New Decade New Approach’ deal.
“Following discussions with the NIO, my officials, along with the Public Health Agency (PHA) and the Strategic Planning & Performance Group as the commissioners of substance use services, have been looking at how best to develop potential proposals for the allocation of funding under this commitment.
“As an initial step, a population needs-based assessment of substance use and related services in the Western Trust area is now underway and a review of inpatient Tier 4 services across NI is also being commissioned,” he stated.
On top of this the Department is leading on a new Preventing Harm, Empowering Recovery substance-use strategy.
"As part of this, SPPG in association with PHA are in the process of developing an approach to Multi-Agency Strategic Planning and Commissioning.
"It is the intention that a comprehensive, whole-system, planning approach to substance use will ensure that demographic trends of increasing demand and complexity, current and future resource, gaps, service pressures and workforce issues will be addressed,” stated the former minister.