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Methadone

Answer

There have been no formal assessments made on the level of abuse of methadone. However, the Department recognises the key role that effective substitute prescribing has to play in meeting our overall aim of offering high quality treatment to drug misusers. It is because of this commitment that the Department published Drug Misuse and Dependence—Guidelines on Clinical Management (1999), which is widely regarded as being extremely successful in assisting prescribers in offering appropriate treatment to their patients. Part of this also tackles the issue of diversion of methadone through advice on supervised consumption.Building on this, the National Treatment Agency (NTA), which has a remit to improve the availability and quality of drug treatment, has just completed an audit of prescribing services in England which will be available shortly. The NTA will also be undertaking series of reviews of community prescribing services with the Healthcare Commission, later in 2005. The NTA has performance management structures in place to effectively tackle those drug action teams assessed as underperforming, as far as provision of drug treatment is concerned.One of the key measures used to assess the quality of substitute prescribing, including levels of diversion, is the number of drug related deaths associated with its use. In 2003, the latest year for which figures are available, 167 deaths associated with the use of methadone were reported. This compares with 286 in 1999, a reduction of 42 per cent.As part of our ongoing commitment to continue to develop improved practise in substitute prescribing, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence will, within a comprehensive package of work that it will be undertaking on drug treatment, do a specific appraisal on the clinical effectiveness of methadone in the treatment of drug misuse.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

436 c2830W;436 c2857W; 6963

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Misuse Methadone