IntroductionStaffPublications
National Drug Treatment Monitoring System

The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) is the official method of monitoring the extent and nature of structured drug and alcohol treatment in England. It is managed by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) and operated by nine regional centres.

The NDTMS is operated in the North West by a regional team based in the North West Public Health Observatory, which is housed within the Centre for Public Health, at Liverpool John Moores University. The regional team collects data from all of the structured drug and alcohol treatment providers in the area. This is then collated by the NTA and monthly figures are produced for each Drug & Alcohol Action Team (DAAT).

NDTMS figures are used to support the government’s commitment to the national drug and alcohol strategies. The same figures are also used as part of the Healthcare Commission’s ‘star-ratings’ system for performance managing Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and mental health trusts. A complete guide to the operation and uses of the NDTMS is outlined in the North West NDTMS guidelines document.

Monitoring of Specialist Alcohol Treatment
From 1 April 2008 all providers of specialist alcohol treatment were asked to submit data to the NDTMS on clients receiving specialist treatment for their alcohol misuse. The data collection will support the Government’s National Alcohol Strategy and will provide information for commissioners on the provision of specialist alcohol treatment services at a local level.
Drug treatment in the North West of England 2007/08

This document, "Results from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring system 2007/08," details the results of the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) in the North West of England during 2007/08. The report provides information on the number, and profile, of individuals in contact with treatment during 2007/08 to provide context for the transitional period at the end of the current drug strategy and for the introduction of the new drug strategy, Drugs: protecting families and communities, the 2008 drug strategy. This report provides an overview of the NDTMS data for the region and also provides some comparisons to previous years; 2003/04, 2005/06 and 2006/07.

  • During 2007/08 there were 38573 individuals in contact with structured drug treatment services in the North West of England.
  • There has been a 3.15% increase in the number of individuals in contact with treatment services in comparison to 2006/07.
  • The prevalence of individuals in contact with treatment also varied dependent on D(A)AT of residence. In Stockport 7.15 per 1,000 population aged 15-44 were in contact with treatment in comparison to 26.29 per 1000 population in Blackpool.
  • In comparison to 2006/07, there has been a decrease in the number of 30-34 year olds in contact with treatment. In contrast, there has been an increase in the number of individuals aged 45 years and older. There has been a significant increase in the average age of those in contact with treatment between 2006/07 and 2007/08. The number of those aged 45 and older in contact with treatment varied from 6.50% in Bolton to 16.45% in Wirral.
  • 63.89% of reported primary problematic drug use of those in contact with treatment was attributed to heroin use. Whilst only 3.00% of primary problematic drug use was attributed to crack cocaine, this figure rose to 25.43% when all problematic use was considered. The proportion of problematic drug use attributed to cocaine has increased from 11.89% in 2006/07 to 12.73% in 2007/08.

     

 

Monthly Reports

To view our monthly reports click here.  The monthly reports are produced by the Centre for Public Health detailing the results of the NDTMS in the North West of England to date. The report aims to provide each of the 22 North West DAATs with timely information on the number, and profile, of those in contact with treatment services in the region.

Links

The official NDTMS web pages on the NTA website: www.nta.nhs.uk/areas/ndtms/default.aspx

The NTA Consent and Confidentiality Toolkit for NDTMS data is available here

Confidentiality Toolkit v4.1

Other useful links can be found at: www.nta.nhs.uk

 

Contact

Adam Marr (NDTMS Regional Manager)