Prison-leavers offered new drug to beat their addiction to heroin

The drug, Naltrexone, is being prescribed to prison-leavers under the Persistent Offenders Project - a partnership between North Yorkshire Police, the York Probation Service and the Selby and York Primary Care Trust's (PCT) Community Addiction Team.

The project, the first of its kind in the York area, aims to help addicts of heroin and other opiate drugs such as methadone.

The medication, which is taken after addicts have completed a detoxification period, blocks the effects of opiate drugs by inhibiting receptors in the brain.

Phyl Driffield, clinical specialist in addictions based at Bootham Park hospital in York, said Naltrexone was a licensed drug and was being offered to the prison-leavers to help them stabilise their lives to beat drug addiction.

"It's being used because of the nature of the problems that the people have," she explained.

"There's a very high relapse rate of heroin users when they come out of prison. All the patients agree to go on it - they don't have to.

"Quite a few of them have started Naltrexone before they come out of prison."

The effects of Naltrexone, which can be taken in tablet form and costs about £40 a month, last one day. New patients are encouraged to take it daily.

As part of the new Persistent Offenders Project, drug addict participants also have visits from addiction workers

Ms Driffield said that the new services were going "very well".

The Community Addiction Team, which has been working on the Persistent Offenders Project since May 2003, is recruiting two extra staff - a liaison worker and a community detoxification worker.

Garry Millard, Selby and York PCT's director of mental health and social inclusion, said: "The expansion of the team and the continuous developments reflects the strong and positive relationship between mental health services and the criminal justice system."

Updated: 10:30 Thursday, July 15, 2004