Buckinghamshire Drugs and Alcohol Strategy 2023 to 2028

The majority (86%) of adults in Buckinghamshire drink alcohol. Most drinkers report drinking within recommended limits, but over 100,000 Buckinghamshire adults drink at levels that may harm their physical and mental health. As a result, alcohol is the leading cause of disability and of death in working age adults in Buckinghamshire. And the problem is growing. Before the COVID-19 pandemic there was a worrying rise in the number of lives lost due to alcohol in Buckinghamshire – rising faster than nationally. With the increases in drinking during the pandemic, these statistics are expected to get worse unless we act now to tackle them.

Over the last decade the death rate due to substance misuse has risen by 48% in Buckinghamshire. However, there are signs that our actions are starting to take hold, with a fall in substance misuse deaths in Buckinghamshire in 2021 compared to 2020. The negative consequences of drugs and alcohol misuse are widespread in society. Young people consuming drugs or alcohol may experience physical and mental health problems, as well as doing less well at school. Personal relationships between families and friends can break down. The impact on a person’s work life can range from lost productivity to unemployment, homelessness, and isolation. There are direct economic costs on health and social care services and the social welfare system due to substance misuse.

The consumption of illicit drugs leads to crime in several ways – obtaining money to fund drugs, behaving antisocially while using drugs, and the actions of organised crime groups involved in supplying drugs. In nearly half (42%) of all violent incidents the victim believed the offender(s) to be under the influence of alcohol. We also know that many of our residents are concerned by the litter of discarded drug paraphernalia, as reported in the annual Community Safety Survey.

By working together, we can improve lives. The hepatitis C pathway introduced in Buckinghamshire has facilitated the detection and treatment of this blood borne virus in our injecting drug users. We are close to becoming the first county-wide drug treatment service to have successfully tackled this virus.* But we need to go further. Looking beyond our treatment services we can use education, employment and housing to facilitate integration within communities.

This strategy summarises our ambitions and commitments to meeting the aims of the national strategy “From Harm to Hope”. Given our local needs, we have decided to tackle alcohol alongside drugs in this strategy. The national strategy aims to break drug supply chains, deliver world-class treatment and recovery services, and achieve a shift in the demand for recreational drugs. In time, it will be supported by a new National Outcomes Framework with additional metrics focused on reducing drug use, crime, deaths, and harm.

This strategy will not be working in isolation. For example, Thames Valley Police are establishing the Custody 2025 programme of change. Custody 2025 aims to use a problem solving and partnership approach to reduce reoffending and improve risk management. The following principles, based on national guidance, form the foundation of our Buckinghamshire Combating Drugs Partnership and this five year strategy:

Preventing young people and adults from using illicit drugs or starting to drink excessively in the first place.

All relevant organisations and professionals see reducing drugs and alcohol harm as an essential part of their role.