Senior councillors have raised concerns about increased demand for alcohol and drug services on Wearside as more residents face financial hardship.
The comments came during a recent meeting of Sunderland City Council’s ruling cabinet during an agenda item on city-wide support services.
This included proposals to vary the city’s existing Integrated Drug and Alcohol Recovery and Harm Minimisation Service contract to increase service provision across the city.
During discussion of the issue at City Hall on September 8, 2022, several cabinet members stressed the importance of the service for city residents.
Read more: 'Emotional' Sunderland teen seen 'swerving' about roads in Volkswagen Polo after drinking booze
However, concerns were also raised about the current “economic climate” and more residents potentially turning towards alcohol or drugs to cope.
Councillor Louise Farthing, cabinet member for children, learning and skills, warned of a potential spike in demand for services, with many families being “pushed over the edge”.
Cllr Farthing said: “We’ve all got ways of handling [issues] but for lots of people [alcohol or drugs] is the only way that’s near to them […] it’s just a different way for them to calm down or get out of that really difficult space.
“For people living in adverse poverty or on the edge of it, it’s a living nightmare at the moment and I think we really need to have every sympathy.
“We need to ensure that those who have members in their family who they have to care for do get that appropriate support.
“I’m really concerned that with the proposed reduction in the National Insurance Levy, will that support be there for adult social care which is really important.
“So there’s lots of concerns and this [grant funding] helps but I think we have got a tidal wave coming towards us.
“I really think that everything that we can do to minimise that will be helpful, but I’m not sure it will be enough.”
Cllr Farthing’s comments followed a presentation from councillor Fiona Miller, deputy cabinet member for healthy city, which set out the proposed variation to the city’s integrated drug and alcohol services contract.
The variation was linked to the government’s drug plan “From Harm to Hope’ and included a grant to be used by councils to support the plan and “directly address the aims of the treatment and recovery”.
Wider aims of the national 10-year plan include ambitions to increase treatment place numbers, prevent drug deaths, reduce alcohol deaths and to increase access to residential rehabilitation.
The current Integrated Drug and Alcohol Recovery and Harm Minimisation Service on Wearside provides a range of services.
This includes outreach and community teams, access to residential / community detoxes, carers support, ‘opiate replacement prescribing’ and support in accessing training, employment and housing.
Cllr Miller said the award of “one year of supplemental substance misuse treatment and recovery grant” would be used to “enhance” services locally.
This includes “increasing and strengthening the workforce” and responding to an “increase in treatment need”, with the proposals winning support from cabinet.
Councillor Linda Williams, cabinet member for vibrant city, added that any extra funding put into diversionary services was “really welcome” and that support for carers was also “vitally” important.
Cllr Williams told the meeting: “If you as a family are supporting someone who has issues around drugs or alcohol it can be a living nightmare.
“You need to have that support to be able to support your loved one to be able to come to some sort of good conclusion at the end of it.
“It’s a real challenge and sadly I think with the current economic climate, there will be more people who will be tempted to go down this route so it’s absolutely vital that we have that support in place”.
According to a report presented to cabinet, Sunderland “continues to experience poor health outcomes around substance misuse and alcohol”.
Councillors heard that the city faces “multiple challenges with substance misuse related harm due to several complex issues associated with poverty, unemployment, and criminal justice involvement”.
The cabinet report adds the use of the supplemental substance misuse treatment and recovery grant would help improve public health outcomes and support key objectives in Sunderland City Council’s City Plan up to 2030.
This includes “reduced health inequalities enabling more people to live healthier longer lives, access to equitable opportunities and life chances [and] people enjoying independent lives.”
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