Drug use and austerity
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Drug use and austerity: Exploring the impact of the recession and government austerity measures on illicit drug use and the availability of drug rehabilitation services.
IRAS ID
166414
Contact name
William Floodgate
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The aims of this research are effectively threefold:
1. To discover how the economic recession of 2008 is impacting on drug use and drug-using practices within two local authorities (LA) in the north of England. This may involve an increase or decrease in individual drug use, a diversification of drug use within the local authority, or a change in levels of drug use as a whole. This aspect of the research is underscored by the hypothesis that rising deprivation – made possible by the economic recession – leads to increased or more problematic drug taking. Due to contrasting levels of deprivation in the two LAs, it is believed that these two sites will provide an interesting comparison. To achieve this aim, this research will engage with drug service users in the two LAs.
2. To understand the changes that are being made to drug services in each LA as a result of the move to Public Health England and the wide-ranging public service reforms. Due to increased localism, and thus greater autonomy for local authorities, this research is interested in exploring how drug services are now operating in the LAs. This will involve focusing on aspects such as changes in budget allocation and the restructuring of service delivery in order to meet the needs of residents, for instance with the creation of new, joined-up strategies linking with other public health services.
3. Lastly, set alongside the restructuring of public health, the UK government has implemented a number of austerity measures aimed at reducing the budget deficit. As such, this research aims to explore how the services operating in each LA in such austere times have been able to adapt to any cuts to funding that they may have experienced, and still meet the needs of their clients during this time of change.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NW/0144
Date of REC Opinion
13 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion