Northern Ireland drug addicts index

Doctors in Northern Ireland have a legal obligation to report cases of addiction. Under the Misuse of Drugs (Notification of and Supply to Addicts) Northern Ireland Regulations 1973, any doctor must notify the Chief Medical Officer of the DHSSPS in writing within seven days if he attends to a patient who he considers to be, or has reasonable grounds to suspect is addicted to any one of the following controlled drugs:

cocaine	hydromorphone	oxycodone
dextromoramide (palfium)	levorphanol	pethidine
diamorphine (heroin)	methadone	phenazocine
dipipanone (constituent of diconal)	morphine	piritramide
hydrocodone	opium

The following information must be supplied:

name
address
sex
date of birth
health service number (of patient)
date of attendance
name of the drug or drugs concerned

Information is gathered from GPs, drug addiction units and the Prison Medical Service. It is not possible at the moment to get specific figures for those attending community addiction services for drug problems. The Northern Ireland drug addicts index is currently updated on an annual basis. The following information includes data up to 31 December 2007, published March 2008.

Registered addicts and new notifications on the Northern Ireland drug addicts index, 1991-2007

Year	Registered addicts	New notifications
2007	257	51
2006	288	100
2005	261	80
2004	259	102
2003	241	85
2002	296	65
2001	302	75
2000	304	77
1999	306	102
1998	229	95
1997	162	73
1996	120	47
1995	96	25
1994	87	29
1993	80	32
1992	60	23
1991	51	11

Length of time addicts have been registered on the addicts index

Years on index	less than 1	1	2	3	4	5	6-9	10 and over
Number of registered addicts	51	46	34	30	18	5	57	16

Of the 51 new addicts registered, 11 had been on the index in previous years but subsequently removed.

In 2007, 82 individuals were removed from the index. Data suggests that addiction had ceased for over half (55%) of those removed from the index in 2007. Belfast Health and Social Care Trust had the highest number (18) of addicts removed during 2007, followed by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (14). Eleven of those removed were registered with the Southern Health and Social Care Trust and 11 with the Western Health and Social Care Trust. The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust had 10 addicts removed during 2007. One third (33%) of those removed from the index in 2007 were categorised as 'whereabouts unknown'.

Distribution by age and gender, 1992-2007

Age Group	Under 21 years	21-24 years	25-29 years	30-34 years	35 years and over	All ages	Male	Female
2007	2	12	59	67	117	257	209	48
2006	1	17	82	70	118	288	224	64
2005	2	22	74	69	94	261	187	74
2004	3	28	70	71	87	259	188	71
2003	3	29	60	67	82	241	177	64
2002	10	47	65	77	87	286	226	70
2001	8	59	89	62	84	302	220	82
2000*	26	64	94	51	67	302	218	84
1999	23	59	86	61	77	306	236	70
1998	18	40	56	47	68	229	174	55
1997	4	24	34	27	73	162	111	51
1996	3	13	28	27	49	120	86	34
1995	0	11	18	17	50	96	69	27
1994	3	14	13	14	43	87	62	25
1993	4	9	11	18	38	80	55	25
1992	4	3	7	13	33	60	43	17

*This figure excluded two individuals for whom gender could not be established.

There are many more males (209) than females (48) on the Northern Ireland drug addicts index in 2007. This breakdown is similar to that for previous years, with males comprising approximately three quarters of registered addicts since 1998.

The age profile of registered addicts in 2007 has changed slightly, with 29% of registered addicts being aged 29 years and under in 2007, compared to 34% in 2006.

Notifiable drugs used

Heroin continues to be the most common drug used (75%, 193 individuals) by those registered on the index, followed by methadone (28%, 71 individuals) and cocaine (6%, 15 individuals).

Number of registered addicts by notifiable drug, 1995-2007

Notifiable Drug	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Cocaine	2	4	7	17	28	25	29	29	25	31	29	24	15
Dextromoramide (Palfium)	10	10	3	4	3	3	7	5	5	1	0	0	0
Dipipanone (Diconal)	10	10	4	4	4	3	4	3	1	3	4	3	1
Heroin (Diamorphine)	61	85	78	161	226	223	244	213	174	170	186	218	193
Levorphanol (Dromoran)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Methadone	15	16	21	28	30	30	30	29	41	50	70	75	71
Morphine	6	10	5	9	8	7	7	5	18	17	11	7	4
Oxycodone	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	1	1
Pethidine	11	11	9	9	12	13	12	12	11	11	8	6	6
Total number of addicts*	96	120	162	229	302	304	302	296	241	259	239	288	257

* Some addicts may be addicted to more than one drug and, therefore, the sum of these may be different from the total shown.

Registered addicts in each Health and Social Care Trust, 1995-2007

Health and Social Care Trust	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Belfast	45	46	51	49	59	55	74	74	64	84	82	79	84
Northern	15	30	64	106	152	167	147	133	104	115	113	103	102
South Eastern	11	15	23	38	41	33	34	32	22	21	19	33	30
Southern	10	10	10	9	16	13	17	19	23	14	17	22	12
Western	15	19	14	27	38	36	30	38	26	21	22	22	16
Total	96	120	162	229	306	304	302	296	241^a	259^b	261^c	288^d	257^e

a This figure includes two individuals for whom Health and Social Services Trust could not be established.
^bThis figure includes four individuals for whom Health and Social Services Trust could not be established.
^cThis figure includes eight individuals for whom Health and Social Services Trust could not be established.
^dThis figure includes twenty nine individuals for whom Health and Social Services Trust could not be established, 25 of these 29 individuals were first notified by the Prison Medical Service and so Trust area could not be established.

From 1st April 2007 the five new Health and Social Care Trusts were formed by the merging of the existing healthcare trusts.

^eThis figure includes 13 individuals for whom Health and Social Services Trust could not be established.

Copies of statistical bulletins from the Northern Ireland drug addicts index can be obtained from DAIRU or at www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/index/stats_research/stats-pubs.htm
Comments or queries regarding the data contained in these publications should be addressed to DAIRU.

References

Drug and Alcohol Information and Research Unit (DAIRU). Statistics from the Northern Ireland drug addicts' index 2007. Statistical bulletin. Belfast: Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), 2008. Available at http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/addicts-index-report-2007.pdf accessed 20 June 2008.

PDF version