A FULL review of drug and alcohol treatment in Bradford is to take place after the system was found not to meet the needs of addicts.

A Bradford Council report into community safety said it had been decided to conduct the review because the system was not fully effective, with a high proportion of service users, in treatment over a long period of time, continuing to use illicit drugs.

It also found the system did not meet the needs of service users, with a rapidly changing use of alternative substances, such as legal highs and medication obtained over the counter.

The report says the review intends to demonstrate the most cost effective way of delivering treatment, considering the effects on service users.

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Ian Wallace, head of commissioning for substance misuse, said: “Bradford Council is constantly looking at the services it commissions to ensure they are delivering value for money and are effective for residents in the district.

“Although the public health department has reviewed individual substance misuse services in the past, we now need to carry out a review of the whole treatment and recovery system to ensure it functions effectively.

“The review will take into account changes in the district, such as the types of substances being used, patterns of alcohol use and the diversity of the local population.

“There will also be a wide-ranging consultation as part of the review to ensure the views of as many people as possible are considered.

“The results of this review will provide recommendations on how the current system can be improved to ensure we provide the best care and support, not only for those with drug and alcohol problems, but for the community as a whole.”

Jon Royle, chief executive of Bradford's Bridge Project, which supports drug users, said the review was timely and helpful.

He said: "We have got some high quality, innovative and effective treatment services that have achieved national recognition and have been replicated in other areas because of excellent practice.

"However, the system as a whole, tackling drug and alcohol misuse in a city as large as Bradford, with areas of great poverty, in a time of austerity, is financially challenged. We have less money to provide treatment."

Mr Royle said more people were coming off drugs and alcohol each year. But he added: "The truth is we need to do better and we can do better."

He said The Change Programme had been set up specifically to help individuals having problems with legal highs and over the counter medications. But he said they were likely to see more people with such problems.

"The review may tell us where the resources may be more appropriately targeted in the future. Perhaps greater resources need to be targeting emerging drugs threats."

Chief Inspector Alan Rhees-Cooper, of Bradford District Police, said: "We welcome any decision to review the current substance misuse treatment system, as it gives us and our partners the opportunity to look at the current initiatives in place and see how they can be improved.

"We recognise that a lot of money has been invested in this area, so it is important that these vital services are kept up to date and structured to suit the needs of the people that use them."

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson, said: "We welcome anything that potentially helps in the treatment of misuse and could reduce the terrible impact that it has on our communities."