A GROWING number of people in Bradford are being hospitalised after taking so-called legal highs, new research shows.

More than 600 people were admitted to hospital over the past five years, and 76 of them were pregnant at the time - a figure described as "shocking" by a senior councillor.

Now health bosses are planning a complete overhaul of the district's drug and alcohol recovery services to keep up with this "rapidly changing landscape" of drug abuse.

Experts at Bradford Council's public health department and the district's three clinical commissioning groups have spent the past nine months looking at how the current drug and alcohol treatment system in Bradford can be updated and improved.

They are now calling for a full-scale overhaul of the system.

This will include training all frontline workers in drug and alcohol treatment teams about legal highs, otherwise known as novel psychoactive substances (NPS).

They would also be trained about prescription and over-the-counter drugs which can be misused, as well as image and performance-enhancing drugs.

The report reveals the number of local people being hospitalised after taking legal highs has steadily increased over the past five years, from 62 in 2009/10 to 183 in 2013/14.

Of 622 admissions, most patients were aged in their 20s or 30s.

Seven were aged 14 or under, while 26 were aged 70 or over.

Many had suffered accidents or injuries, or were diagnosed with mental and behavioural disorders brought on by substance misuse.

But 76 women were diagnosed with complications of pregnancy.

Councillor Mike Gibbons, the Conservatives' spokesman for health, called for more education for children on the dangers of legal highs.

He said: "There are some shocking figures regarding the young and indeed some elderly people, but also people who are vulnerable such as pregnant women.

"Once again there is a need for much more straightforward education, to be given in simple terms and easy to understand.

"The benefits of children being taught the perils at an early age cannot be understated."

The review also examined many other aspects of the current drug and alcohol treatment system.

It has come up with 23 key findings in total, which also include:

- There should be "significantly more" treatment places for those with alcohol problems;

- Those who have been in the system for a long time without making progress should be given extra support or alternative treatment options;

- Services should be commissioned in a way that they can work with users of all drugs, including alcohol, to cut down on duplication;

- GP practices should be used where possible to normalise care and move away from "ghettoised" treatment.

There are currently 19 different providers delivering around 50 drug and alcohol treatment services across the district.

But the review calls for the health and social care sectors to unite to commission "a simpler and more effective recovery system for the population of the Bradford district".

Liz Barry, public health manager for Bradford Council, said the majority of services had been commissioned "some time ago".

She said: "Since then, the national strategy has changed, as have the types of substances being abused.

"Many service users have complex needs and might be addicted to more than one substance. A new approach will enable these people to get help easily, from a streamlined system able to manage their whole recovery process."

Councillor Ralph Berry, portfolio holder for health and social care at the Labour-run authority, added: "By improving efficiency in the system we can improve the lives of substance misuses, their families and make better use of the limited resources we have within the district."

Jon Royle, chief executive of the Bradford-based Bridge Project, one of the district's biggest providers of support services to drug users, said there was help available for people taking so-called legal highs.

But he agreed the treatment system needed to be updated to reflect their increasing use.

He said: "We do know that it is one of the fastest growing areas, in terms of increasing numbers of people using these drugs, and we also know that nationally the number of deaths associated with these drugs is climbing all the time."

He said one problem the substances posed for treatment services was that their ingredients and effects were constantly changing.

Mr Royle also said he agreed the overall system could do with simplifying, saying this would create "a better service to the clients we serve and will offer Bradford Council Tax payers better value for money".

Anyone wanting advice about their own or someone else's substance misuse can visit bradfordrecoverysystem.org.uk.