Warwickshire Drugs Needs Assessment

Task  

Warwickshire County Council commissioned TONIC to undertake a Drugs Needs Assessment. The aim of this project was to inform future planning and commissioning decisions ahead of a re-commissioning process, to help make strategic investment decisions based on contextual information about substance use, treatment, and current need. This was also conducted to compliment a recently completed Alcohol Needs Assessment for Warwickshire. 

TONIC’s Approach  

TONIC began by conducting a literature review that summarised both local and national key documents, policies and strategies to provide insight into the current knowledge and approach. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using a range of data sources about alcohol, drugs and young people. This focused on overall prevalence, indicators of need, and details about treatment and outcomes, highlighting trends, issues, and topics where Warwickshire differs from the national picture. 

To deliver this Drugs Needs Assessment, TONIC engaged over 550 local people. The online survey reached 402 people, including high quality responses from 35 individuals with direct lived experience and 29 respondents on behalf of someone with lived experience of substance use, as well as 303 professional stakeholders. In-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with 132 individuals with lived experience of substance use and 52 professional stakeholders. 

Outcome 

TONIC structured the findings using the three main objectives from the national 10-year drug strategy; breaking supply chains, delivering a world-class treatment and recovery system, and achieving a generational shift in demand for drugs. Within the final report, TONIC summarised individuals with lived experience and professional stakeholders’ views, identifying strengths and limitations to the current system and significant barriers to accessing support.  

Based on all of the findings, TONIC laid out a set of recommendations for the commissioners to consider. The recommendations were made in the context of aiming to reduce caseloads and build capacity. These included, improving recruitment and retention of staff, streamlining the referral and assessment process and proactively seeking to engage with individuals who have ‘additional needs’ or protected characteristics.