Drug deaths claim 36 in Northumberland

Northumberland saw 36 drug-related deaths last year, new figures show.
Drug deaths action callDrug deaths action call
Drug deaths action call

Office for National Statistics figures show there were 36 drug-related deaths recorded in the area in 2020 – up from 28 the year before.

The deaths relate to poisoning from a variety of illegal and legal drugs, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

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In Northumberland, 18 deaths last year were down to misuse, meaning they involved illegal drugs, or were a result of drug abuse or dependence.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) has called on the Government to “wake up” following years of cuts to addiction services, which it said have fuelled a record number of deaths across England and Wales – 4,561 in 2020 – with two-thirds of these from misuse.

Dr Emily Finch, vice-chair of the addictions faculty at the RCP, said: “Years of cuts have left addictions services ill-equipped to treat people and prevent these deaths from rising.

“The Government needs to wake up to the fact that major cuts to services, disconnecting NHS mental health services from addiction services and shifting the focus away from harm reduction to abstinence-based recovery is destroying lives and fuelling the increase in these drug-related deaths.”

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The Government has said it will set up a new drugs unit to help end illegal drug-related illness and deaths.

A spokesman added: “We are already investing £148m to tackle the root causes of drug misuse, including £80m for treatment and recovery. This is the largest investment in the drug treatment system for 15 years.”