Bill Rammell MP today slammed Essex agencies for jeopardising and under-funding local drug treatment services in Harlow in a drive to reorganise services and drive down costs, following news that the West Essex Alcohol and Drug Service in Harlow (ADAS) has been forced to terminate its contract to provide drug treatment services in Harlow. 

In October 2008, Tory-controlled Essex County Council announced that it would put all drug services out to tender.[1] As an organisation, Harlow-based ADAS was not big enough to provide a service for the whole of North Essex but was encouraged to join Colchester-based drug treatment organisation Open Road in a joint bid. The two organisations were subsequently jointly successful in winning the tender for North Essex.[2]  

ADAS started providing services for West Essex under the new contract from April 2009 but had real concerns that the level of funding agreed for the service in West Essex was inadequate and inequitable. Bill Rammell MP pressed for urgent action, bringing all parties together to find a way forward, but in December this year, Stow-based ADAS was forced to terminate the contract with Open Road due to the financial difficulties associated with the contract.

In taking up representations on behalf of ADAS, Mr Rammell became increasingly concerned about the significantly disproportionate funding across the whole region of North Essex. Recent figures show that ADAS has treated 42% of all drug clients in North Essex but receives only 16% of the funding.[3] This is in stark contrast of funding amounts being offered for drug treatment services in Mid and East Essex areas (which also form constituent parts of the total North Essex area).

Bill Rammell MP said: “This is a scandalous situation where a local voluntary organisation has been effectively been driven from providing an excellent service due to a major imbalance in funding across the county. Open Road received £765,000 but refuses to give ADAS an equitable portion of the funding for the provision of these services in West Essex. The Essex Drug and Alcohol Action Team (EDAAT) who commission the services have not introduced any measures to protect the subcontractor and they seem unable to take the lead in sorting this problem. I have been working to resolve this situation since April when ADAS first brought the funding problems to my attention, and I brought all parties together in August this year to try and broker a deal, however, the fact that ADAS were forced to give notice on their contract is an indictment of how far they were pushed. I have convened a meeting of all parties early in the New Year to try and resolve this, even at this late stage.”

Dr Shaun Firth, Chair of ADAS, said: “As a result of this funding situation, dedicated staff face redundancy. Open Road, based in Colchester, will start a new operation in our area where ADAS has provided these services to an exceptionally high standard for 22 years. Introducing another service is both a waste of resources as well as confusing for people. We are extremely grateful to West Essex NHS, whose support enables ADAS to continue to provide an alcohol service. ADAS won the prestigious ‘Tackling Drugs and Saving Lives’ award in 2008 for excellence and enjoys a superb reputation for the quality and standard of its services. The inability of the Essex DAAT to take neither responsibility nor action for the nightmare scenario they have created is appalling. The right of West Essex to an equal share of available funds is not being addressed. Harlow and the people of West Essex deserve better.”