Swansea, according to the office for national statistics in 2022, had the highest rate of drug poisoning related fatalities of any area in Wales for a five year period :2017-2022 These included not only opioids but an emerging prevalence of increased deaths involving benzodiazepines such as Alprazolam and Diazepam.   

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For the whole of the United Kingdom, Swansea has the highest rates of death attributed, alone, to opioids. Normally, toxicological investigations, post mortem, indicate that deaths are usually due to reliance on as least six different drugs.  Legal prescriptions for opioid based medicines rose, in Swansea, by 30% between 2007 and 2017. When looking at figures taking into account 100,000 of the local population. there were 16 deaths (in 2017) per 100,00 from opioid dependency. The neighbouring area of Neath Port Talbot had 11 per 100,000. These figures include deaths also attributed to Tramadol which is not an opioids but an opioid like agent (OLA). 

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For alcohol, there is a worrying high number of adult men  admitted to hospital due to alcohol dependency/poisoning with as many as 1730 per 100,000 adults being admitted in a year. For women. the rate is 832.3 per 100,000 adults. 

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For the last set of figures released by the Welsh government in 2021, for the financial year 2020-2021, 676 adults were assessed for alcohol misuse with a rate of 167 adults per 100,000 of the local population . 822 adults were assessed for drug misuse at a rate of 203 adults per 100,000 of the local population.

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Statutory drug and alcohol services in Swansea are provided by NEWID

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Web: newidcymru.co.uk

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Tel: 0300 7904044

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Email: dyfodol.swansea@uk.g4s.com

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Private treatment in Wales is available and, where clinically appropriate (and space is available), the same day. However, unlike England, there are fewer private centres than there are, pro rata to the size of the country and population. It can sometimes be quicker to access treatment in England , though the centres in Wales are less costly than the majority of the centres in the UK. 

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The clinic chains, and referral agents, will advertise that they have centres all over the UK: A centre in every city, town and postcode in the UK. The simply truth is: They don't. By using post-box addresses and serviced office reception services. They do this in order to get you to pick up the phone. Referral agents often use images of clinics that they lift off websites and purport to own the centres. There are, in fact, only a very few actual clinic chains. 

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Paul is an addictions clinician with three decades of direct clinical experience. He has worked, for several years, referring patients directly into private centres and has excellent relationships with admissions teams at all the major centres in the UK as well as working as an admitting/prescribing clinician in several centres. 

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All enquiries are treated in the strictest of medical confidence and advice is given without charge and impartially. Paul can advise on treatment options, location, cost and availability. 

 

 

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