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280 people were admitted to hospitals in the Bristol area due to drug problems last year, according to new figures.

Fraser Trevor

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Title: 280 people were admitted to hospitals in the Bristol area due to drug problems last year, according to new figures.
Author: Fraser Trevor
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280 people were admitted to hospitals in the Bristol area due to drug problems last year, according to new figures. The Department of Health...

280 people were admitted to hospitals in the Bristol area due to drug problems last year, according to new figures. The Department of Health data shows that more than half of admissions for drug poisoning and drug-related mental health disorders in the former Avon area from 2006 to 2007 were in the Bristol local authority, where a total of 155 people went into hospital. The latest figures form part of an annual report carried out by the Government to determine just how many people are using drugs across the country. As well as the numbers of hospital admissions by primary care trust – the local authority areas that commission health services – the report had statistics for the number of under-16s taking drugs and figures for drug-taking by age, gender and type of substance. In Bristol 139 people were admitted to hospital for drug poisoning, much lower than in Leeds, which reported the highest number of admissions with 236 during the 12-month period. In the South West the next highest number of admissions was in Devon where there were 103 cases. Bristol recorded 16 hospital admissions for mental health and behavioural disorders associated with drug-taking, while Somerset had 115. In Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) there were 43 drug poisoning incidents, 29 in North Somerset and 35 in South Gloucestershire. Drug-associated mental health admissions accounted for eight cases in B&NES, eight in South Gloucestershire and less than six in North Somerset, although the PCT would not reveal the exact figure. University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust said that drug-related diagnosis accounted for about 1.6 per cent of all people admitted to hospital in 2006 to 2007. In North Bristol drug-related admissions accounted for 1.7 per cent of all admissions. Associate director of public health in Bristol, Barbara Coleman, said: "Treatment for drug misuse is a priority in Bristol. Figures for the treatment of drug misuse will be higher than elsewhere in the South West as we've got many more problem drug misusers in Bristol than any other area in the South West. However, we're making significant improvements to care in Bristol. "In Bristol there are estimated to be around 8,000 drug misusers and more than 50 per cent are currently in some form of treatment programme." Initiatives in the city include shared-care services with GPs supported by experts such as the Bristol Drugs Project. There are also specialist nurses at the BRI who are able to recognise if a patient admitted for any reason, is a drug misuser. They can then ensure the patients get appropriate care. These nurses are also training other nurses to recognise drug misusers and to be able to refer patients on to other services.