BCP Council is set to receive more than £1.4million to boost drug and alcohol treatment in the area.

The local authority will get £1,429,548 from the Department of Health and Social Care, as a part of a £267m package for councils nationwide.

In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, the funds will be put towards initiatives including doubling the treatment provision for opiate users in the area.

This will see the number of people having access to treatment reach 1,600 in 2024/25.

It will also help to boost provision for the over-55s with alcohol dependency, recruiting a specialist team to support these people.

Bournemouth Echo: Cllr David Brown

Councillor David Brown, portfolio holder for health and wellbeing said: “We are delighted to receive more investment into drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) area.

“This allocation of more than £1.4million will help us to provide higher-quality and greater provision of drug addiction treatment – helping us save lives and making our streets safer for the benefit of all residents across our three towns.

“In addition, this welcome investment means that we can expand our provision for alcohol dependence services by creating a new service for the over-55s – a ‘hidden’ group which we’ve sadly seen grow in the BCP area over the past few years.”

The council’s allocation will also be used to engage with people who misuse substances who are involved in the criminal justice system.

This is aimed to help reduce offending and re-offending, recruiting specialist staff to support a team engaging with offenders in custody suites, magistrates’ court, people coming out of prison and those on probation.

Alongside these funds, BCP Council will get £76,246 as its ‘inpatient detoxification allocation’.

This money has gone towards the opening of a new detox unit for the Wessex Area, in partnership with other local authorities.

This unit opened in 2022, and the funds will be used to allow the unit to continue to remain opening, giving residents access to inpatient detoxification for alcohol and/or drug misuse.

Bournemouth Echo: Director of public health for Dorset and BCP councils Sam Crowe

Sam Crowe, director of public health for BCP and Dorset Councils, said: “Providing access to treatment and recovery for people with complex addictions is a crucial part of the national drug strategy and a key public health priority.

“Evidence shows that investing in treatment and recovery provides huge benefits to individuals and their families, as well as wider society.

“I’m delighted that Government recognises the importance of this 10-year drug strategy in our area. With this further investment in local services, we will continue to work with our partners to deliver world-class treatment and recovery services.”

The government's 10-year strategy began in 2021.