Swindon Drugs Service Sacked For Failures

Drug treatment in Swindon is undergoing an overhaul after the service failed national standards. Swindon Council has sacked former drug service suppliers while two new contractors have been brought in.

And the council predicts that failure to help drug addicts in the town will cost £57m per year at least in resulting crime as addicts seek their fix.

The service failed against a scoreboard which measured the number of new addicts treated, the retention of people in treatment and waiting times.

Swindon Council’s strategic development manager for substance misuse Matthew Hibbert said: “We didn’t meet any of the targets set for us by the National Treatment Agency.”

The drug services revamp started more than a year ago and new contractors – DHI and Inclusion – are in the process of setting up in the town.

Heroin remains the main focus while major changes include support for crack cocaine and crystal meth users.