Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services 2023-2026
Case reference FOI2026/02029
Received 25 August 2026
Published 18 September 2026
Request
Please provide the following for your Authority for each of the last three financial years (2023/24-2025/26):
1. The number of individuals identified as drinking at increasing or higher risk levels (e.g. via AUDIT/AUDIT-C screening), or as using illicit drugs or misusing prescription medication at a problematic level, whether or not they went on to access structured treatment.
2. Of those individuals identified in point 1, the number referred into commissioned drug and alcohol treatment services, broken down by referral source.
3. Of those identified but not referred, or referred but not engaged, the number and reason recorded.
4. Average waiting time from referral to first treatment contact.
5. Details of any digital health, cessation, or harm reduction app or self-management tool currently commissioned for addiction, substance use, gambling, or wellbeing support - including product/provider name, contract value, contract length, and cost per head or per user licence, where not commercially sensitive.
Response
Please provide the following for your Authority for each of the last three financial years (2023/24-2025/26):
1. The number of individuals identified as drinking at increasing or higher risk levels (e.g. via AUDIT/AUDIT-C screening), or as using illicit drugs or misusing prescription medication at a problematic level, whether or not they went on to access structured treatment.
Answer: The Drug and Alcohol Service is unable to provide information based on AUDIT/AUDIT-C scores or similar questionnaires at the point of referral, as this information is not collected or recorded within the treatment system until a client has completed a comprehensive assessment.
2. Of those individuals identified in point 1, the number referred into commissioned drug and alcohol treatment services, broken down by referral source.
Answer: The figures below have been provided using referral data held by the commissioned treatment provider and are broken down by referral source.
2023/24
Self: 535
GP: 79
Hospital: 45
Criminal Justice: 145
Social Services: 35
Mental Health Services: 114
Support Services: 31
Substance Misuse Service: 28
Other: 27
Total: 1,053
2024/25
Self: 551
GP: 74
Hospital: 55
Criminal Justice: 166
Social Services: 43
Mental Health Services: 123
Support Services: 42
Substance Misuse Service: 55
Other: 11
Total: 1,137
2025/26
Self: 600
GP: 63
Hospital: 40
Criminal Justice: 177
Social Services: 55
Mental Health Services: 89
Support Services: 41
Substance Misuse Service: 41
Other: 13
Total: 1,125
3. Of those identified but not referred, or referred but not engaged, the number and reason recorded.
Answer: As a treatment provider, the Drug and Alcohol Service only holds information on individuals who have been referred into treatment. There is no means of identifying individuals who may have been recognised as having a substance use need but were not referred. Therefore, information relating to individuals identified but not referred is not held.
Information relating to individuals referred but not engaged is not routinely reported in the format requested. Any relevant information held would be recorded within individual treatment records and treatment monitoring systems.
4. Average waiting time from referral to first treatment contact.
Answer: The commissioned treatment provider monitors waiting times through the percentage of clients waiting more than three weeks to commence their first intervention.
For the latest available reporting period (1 January 2026 to 31 March 2026), no clients waited longer than three weeks to start their first intervention across any treatment group:
Opiate: 0% (0 out of 28 clients)
Non-opiate: 0% (0 out of 40 clients)
Alcohol: 0% (0 out of 61 clients)
Alcohol and Non-opiate: 0% (0 out of 21 clients)
Additionally, no clients in any treatment group waited longer than six weeks to commence treatment.
Information on average waiting time in days is not held in the format requested. However, waiting time performance data indicates that all clients commenced their first intervention within three weeks during the latest reporting period.
5. Details of any digital health, cessation, or harm reduction app or self-management tool currently commissioned for addiction, substance use, gambling, or wellbeing support - including product/provider name, contract value, contract length, and cost per head or per user licence, where not commercially sensitive.
Answer: Herefordshire Council does not currently commission any digital health, cessation, harm reduction, addiction, gambling or wellbeing apps/self-management tools for Drug and Alcohol treatment support. Therefore, no information is held in relation to product/provider names, contract values, contract lengths or licence costs.
Documents
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