Skip to main content
Creating a new NHS England: Health Education England, NHS Digital and NHS England have merged. More about the merger.

Publication, Part of

Statistics on Drug Misuse, England 2020

Official statistics, National statistics

National Statistics

Current Chapter

Statistics on Drug Misuse, England 2020


Statistics on Public Health

Please note that this publication has now been integrated into the new Statistics on Public Health publication that brings together:

  • Statistics on Alcohol,
  • Statistics on Drug Misuse,
  • Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet,
  • Statistics on Smoking.

In its first iteration it presents the information previously published in these publications in the new format agreed as part of the consultation in early 2022.  The consultation outcomes document can be found below under Resources.

We value your opinions on this new look publication and would welcome your feedback.

We plan to publish updated hospital admissions, mortality and prescribing data for 2020/21 through to 2022/23 later in 2023 with the publication then being produced routinely in the autumn each year.

20 July 2023 09:30 AM

Summary

This report presents newly published information on hospital admissions attributable to drug-related mental health and behavioural disorders and on hospital admissions attributable to poisoning by illicit drugs.

The report also provides links to information on drug misuse among both adults and children from a variety of sources, including the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System and the Crime Survey for England and Wales.

Additionally, a data visualisation tool (link provided below) allows users to select the drug-related hospital admissions data for any Local Authority (as contained in the data tables), along with time series data from 2013/14. Regional and national comparisons are also provided.

The publication of this report was delayed from July 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) requiring changes to NHS Digital’s statistical production schedule.


Key facts cover 2019/20 which is the latest year of available data for hospital admissions.

7,027 hospital admissions for drug-related mental and behavioural disorders

5% lower than 2018/19 (7,376), but 21% higher than 2009/10 (5,809)

Admissions were around 5 times more likely in the most deprived areas, compared to the least deprived areas

16,994 hospital admissions for poisoning by drug misuse

6% lower than 2018/19 (18,053), but 9% higher than 2012/13 (15,580)

Admissions were around 5 times more likely in the most deprived areas, compared to the least deprived areas

99,782 admissions with a primary or secondary diagnosis of drug-related mental and behavioural disorders

3% higher than 2018/19, when there were 96,705 admissions

Admissions were over 8 times more likely in the most deprived areas, compared to the least deprived areas





Last edited: 14 July 2023 11:19 am