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

Debate contribution by Mr Maurice Bradley on 4 March 2025.

MLA

Mr Maurice Bradley

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist 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 4833449

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I join my colleagues from the north-west in calling for the establishment of a dedicated treatment centre. The Minister highlighted some of the statistics from the Western Trust, but the problem is much larger than the Western Trust area. The area also takes in the Northern Trust. No statistics have been quoted from the Causeway Coast and Glens area. I remind Members that, according to NISRA statistics, the Belfast City Council area, with 14·3 deaths per 100,000 of population, has the highest incidence rate. Second highest is the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area, with 10·7 drug-related deaths per 100,000 of population. Third highest is the Derry City and Strabane District Council area. That tells me that there is a bigger picture that shows that, across the north-west, there is a problem with addiction. The Minister rightly says, "If you want it, how will you pay for it?". One suggestion for the Minister is for him to reduce the number of health trusts from five to three and make savings that way, because this wee country of ours is too small to be governed by five health trusts. I digress, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, so I apologise.

Establishing a dedicated treatment and recovery centre in the north-west, in which I include the north coast, is now a priority. Substance misuse, including drug and alcohol addiction, continues to be a major public health challenge in the north-west and in the Causeway Coast and Glens area, with the regions experiencing some of the highest rates of dependency in Northern Ireland. The economic and social costs of untreated addiction place significant strain on healthcare services, policing and local economies. Despite the scale of the issue, there is no dedicated, fully resourced addiction treatment centre in the north-west, in which I include the Causeway Coast and Glens area. People in those areas often face long waiting times, travel barriers and fragmented support services, making recovery more difficult. A fully funded, purpose-built addiction treatment and recovery centre for the north-west and the Causeway Coast and Glens area would improve accessibility, reduce travel barriers and offer specialist addiction services, including detoxification, rehabilitation, mental health support and harm-reduction strategies. It would also lessen the burden on hospitals, emergency services, policing and social care. There needs to be support for long-term recovery by integrating addiction treatment, mental health services, housing support and employment programmes. The Assembly would need to ensure that the centre were fully funded and sustainably resourced. Establishing a dedicated addiction treatment and recovery centre in the north-west and north coast area would be a critical step forward in tackling substance misuse. A fully resourced, trauma-informed integrated care approach would not only improve public health outcomes but reduce the long-term social and economic costs associated with untreated addiction. Centralising health services in Belfast is not the answer. Another look needs to be taken at how this country divvies up its health services. The impending removal of acute services from the Causeway Hospital will mean that the nearest acute hospital to the Causeway Coast and Glens area is Altnagelvin, putting more pressure on the Western Trust, with no ambulances to take anybody anywhere. I have a few minutes left.

Right. Cara Hunter, who proposed the motion, told us that the death rate through addiction is three times higher in Northern Ireland than elsewhere. She cited the complex nature of drug and alcohol addiction and called for a wrap-around approach. Daniel McCrossan mentioned how difficult it is to get appropriate help when it is needed, which leads to further despair, with families and friends being adversely affected. Danny Donnelly talked about Belfast's high rate of deaths and how addiction destroys lives and families. He said that, 27 years on, young people are still suffering the after-effects of the Troubles, and called for cross-party cooperation to deal with the issue. Gary Middleton highlighted, rightly, the fact that addiction can strike anyone. He informed us that the right treatment for the right addiction is important, as there are more addictions than alcohol and drug addiction. He also called for treatments to be available in the north-west and for increased capacity to deal with the stigma of addiction. Ciara Ferguson made reference to the deaths caused by addiction and the pain and sorrow caused to families by those bereavements. She also told us that drug abuse and alcohol abuse is on the increase.

Ach, dear. Thank you.

743 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:06 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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