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National Statistics
Publication, Part of

Statistics on Drug Misuse - England, 2012

Official statistics, National statistics
Publication Date:
Geographic Coverage:
England
Geographical Granularity:
Country, Strategic Health Authorities, Government Office Regions, Primary Care Trusts, Regions
Date Range:
01 Jan 2010 to 01 Nov 2012

Summary

Note: The 2011/12 Hospital Episode Statistics published in this report were provisional and have since been revised. The finalised data for 2011/12 have been updated in the time series in Tables 3.1, 3.4 and 3.7 of the Statistics on Drug Misuse - England, 2013 publication.

 

This annual statistical report presents information on drug misuse among both adults and children. It includes a focus on young adults. The topics covered include:

  • Prevalence of drug misuse, including the types of drugs used;

  • Trends in drug misuse over recent years;

  • Patterns of drug misuse among different groups of the population;

  • Health outcomes related to drug misuse including hospital admissions, drug treatment and number of deaths.

  • The bulletin also summarises Government plans and targets in this area, as well as providing sources of further information and links to relevant documents.

The bulletin draws together data from a variety of different sources and presents it in a user-friendly format. Most of the data contained in the bulletin have been published previously by the NHS Information Centre, the Home Office, Office for National Statistics or the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse. Previously unpublished figures on drug-related admissions to hospital are presented using data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre's Hospital Episode Statistics.

Key Facts

  • In 2011/12, there were 6,173 admissions to hospital with a primary diagnosis of a drug-related mental health and behavioural disorder. This is 7 per cent (467) less than 2010/11 when there were 6,640 such admissions. Overall, between 2000/01 and 2011/12 admissions have decreased by 23 per cent (1,854) from 8,027 to 6,173.
  • Where primary or secondary diagnosis was recorded there were 57,733 admissions in 2011/12, this is a 12.4 per cent (6,380) increase from 2010/11 when there were 51,353 such admissions. Figures from this type of admission have continued to increase year on year and are now almost twice as high as there were eleven years ago as they stood at 25,683 in 2000/2001*
  • In 2011/12 there were 12,344 admissions to hospital with a primary diagnosis of poisoning by drugs. This is a 1.9 per cent (242) decrease compared to 2010/11 when there were 12,586 such admissions. Since 2000/01 there has been a long term increase of 58 per cent (4,530) when there were 7,814 such admissions.
  • The total number of deaths related to drug misuse in England and Wales was 1,605 in 2011, a decrease of 179 from 2010 when there were 1,784 such deaths. This continues the downward trend seen since 2008.
  • The most common underlying cause of death was from accidental poisoning accounting for 71 per cent (1,147 out of 1,605) deaths.

*The increase in 2011/12 may be a real change or in part may be due be to changes in recording practices (in this year or previous years). This may be particularly relevant for admissions with a primary or secondary diagnosis where some of the increases may be attributable to changes in recording practice. Further years' data may be required to aid interpretation of these statistics.

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Last edited: 11 April 2018 5:21 pm