Debate contribution: Treatment and Recovery Centre in the North-west

Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on 4 March 2025.

MLA

Ms Cara Hunter

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

4 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Treatment and Recovery Centre in the North-west

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4833357

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I beg to move

Thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to propose our motion in recognition of how much pain addiction causes in our communities across the North, focusing in particular today on the north-west. I thank the Minister of Health for being here. I thank his predecessor as Health Minister, Robin Swann, who brought forward the drugs and alcohol strategy. In a previous role, I was the chair of the all-party group (APG) on addiction and dual diagnosis, and I greatly appreciated his attendance at that time and his efforts when I sat on the Health Committee. I will run through a few statistics. In 2022, the latest year for which statistics are available, Northern Ireland had the joint highest rate in the UK of deaths from diseases caused by alcohol. Between 2018 and 2022, the rate of drug deaths here was over three times higher in Northern Ireland's most deprived areas than in wealthy areas. Deaths due to drug-related causes have increased by 98% since 2012, and, between 2018 and 2022, over 40% of drug misuse deaths occurred in NI's most deprived areas. Today, therefore, I will also touch on the link between poverty and drug deaths. The north-west has an acute need when it comes to addiction, going from my constituency of East Derry to Foyle and wider west Tyrone. I will begin by thanking those who founded the Northlands centre in Derry and all its staff, past and present, who have done exceptional and remarkable work in supporting my constituents and those of others beside me across the north-west. I record my particular thanks to Denis Bradley, who continues to advocate for the right services in the area for those who are struggling, recognising the complex nature of addiction, particularly in a post-conflict society such as ours, where many in our communities have dealt with complex trauma. There is an undeniable relationship between such trauma and addiction that often ends up being passed on to future generations. We must build on the great work being done by Northlands and build a fully funded, purpose-built addiction and recovery centre in the north-west. Cross-border collaboration is key on the issue, and I welcome the fact that recent PEACE PLUS funding has recognised the needs of those struggling with an addiction in our border areas. Addiction is, sadly and wrongly, often perceived as a class-based issue. That could not be further from the truth. Addiction impacts all in our society, regardless of class, colour or creed. Some are better at hiding it than others. Work on policy issues such as addiction must be done on a cross-party, cross-community basis. That is key to highlighting to the public that health comes above politics and that we will always do our best to serve our constituents on issues that matter to them, such as addiction. The motion could not have come at a better time. I was deeply saddened yesterday to find that the word "addiction" was not mentioned once in the Programme for Government. I feel that the House can come to a consensus on the issue and build on that to ensure that we give our constituents the right services to support them. Our motion focuses on the wrap-around support needed for those struggling with an addiction, such as employment, training and housing. Those are things that will help them to get back on track. Drug and alcohol addiction is, sadly, all around us. It interrupts lives and robs people of the best years of their life, as well as their success and their prosperity. It impacts not only on the individual as a patient but on entire families.

Absolutely. I thank the Member for his intervention. Judging by the constituents whom I have spoken to, people who have an addiction will often go to an A&E department but cannot get the support that they need because they have either drugs or alcohol in their system. They are pushed from pillar to post. They go to mental health services for support and are pushed back to addiction and vice versa. Undoubtedly, addiction impacts on entire families. It robs children of happy childhoods; it can lead to financial pressures in the home; and, sadly, as we saw when we had the discussion on ending violence against women and girls, it can be a huge contributor to domestic violence. Across the North, support groups meet weekly to discuss addiction. No one should be afraid to step forward and engage on those matters. I highlight the remarkable work of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA), which launched in 1990 in response to the large number of children of alcoholics who were without support. It is a fantastic organisation that really touches on the importance of supporting vulnerable young people every day and providing them with a non-judgemental safe space where they can talk about their parent who is struggling with an addiction. More locally, in Belfast, Al-Anon supports families of alcoholics. I will give a shout-out to Colette in the Belfast office, who is exceptional and has provided a lot of support to my constituents.

Every day, across the North, children with non-functioning alcoholic parents are attending school. As my party's education, children and young people's spokesperson, it is important that I touch on the issue of children who come from homes where parents or loved ones struggle with an addiction, and we are expecting them to get the same grades as children who come from safe, stable and happy homes. That is a societal issue, and it is important to include that. As a society, with the struggles that we so often face with addiction, we do not support young people to an efficient standard. We do not support them efficiently in school, either. Having a parent who is an alcoholic or who struggles with drug addiction is noted as an adverse childhood experience, which I know that Members across the House care deeply about addressing. It can contribute and lead to emotional dysregulation in young people, leading to a fear of conflict, a lack of self-esteem, hypervigilance and more. Sadly, drugs are becoming more widely available, more readily available online, and the police can do only so much with the resources that are given to them. Therefore, we must ensure that the police force is given the necessary support to stop drugs from filtering in and ruining communities. Drug use is often a result of trauma. It is important to raise the issue of mental health shortfalls. I would like to see more investment in our mental health strategy because it is nowhere near sufficient. We can do more when it comes to young people. As someone who was educated in America, I know that Americans are robust in educating young people about the fears of drugs, about drug deaths, what they look like and how common they are. They talk about statistics. We need to do a bit more of that. We do not do enough about how to consume alcohol and the impact that it has on the body. I am passionate about that. I have spoken to young people, and it seems that the education on alcohol has not changed much since I was at school, 12 years ago. Early intervention is key. Drugs and alcohol can cost Northern Ireland up to £1 billion each year. Reports show that, at any one time, around 200 beds are being used by patients who have a drug- or alcohol-related issue. As a proud east Derry woman, with family from west Tyrone, I have seen in my lifetime the acute need in the north-west from beginning to end. We hear that each and every day in our constituency offices. People are really struggling. This issue is undeniably linked to poverty and deprivation as well, as we are seeing that drug deaths are three times more likely in more-deprived areas. I thank those who are here, including the Health Minister, for being here, for listening to our case and for trying to understand the complex nature of addiction and mental health in our communities and the urgent need to have a fully funded, purpose-built addiction support and resource centre.

1,373 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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