There were seven drug poisoning deaths in Barnet in 2022 – down from 12 the year before reports Sonja Tutty, Data Reporter

Drugs being heated with a lighter on a spoon. — Across England and Wales, there were 4,907 drug-related deaths in 2022 – (Credit – Radar)

There were fewer drug-related deaths in Barnet last year, new figures show.

It comes as drug deaths in England and Wales hit a record high, with health and social care provider Turning Point calling for further investment in addiction services.

Office for National Statistic figures show there were seven drug poisoning deaths in Barnet in 2022 – down from 12 the year before.

The figures cover drug abuse and dependence, fatal accidents, suicides and complications involving controlled and non-controlled drugs, prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Across England and Wales, there were 4,907 drug-related deaths in 2022 – the highest level since records began in 1993.

Clare Taylor, chief operating officer at Turning Point, said the high level of deaths is a tragedy.

She added: “Drug related deaths are preventable, and the right treatment and support for anyone at risk, in any community, remains the key protective factor.”

She said government investment has allowed the addiction sector to increase treatment places and grow the workforce, but added it will take time before world class drug and alcohol treatment services are built.

“If the Government continues to invest in building up skills and capacity in the sector, we can turn the tide,” she added.

Of the total drug-related deaths last year, 3,127 deaths were due to misuse, meaning they involved illegal drugs, or were a result of drug abuse or dependence.

In Barnet, three of the deaths were identified as drug misuse.

Some 2,261 (46%) deaths last year involved an opiate, such as heroin or morphine, while 857 deaths involved cocaine, with the number rising for the 11th consecutive year.

Lee Fernandes, from the UK Addiction Treatment Group, said the figures show people who have been addicted to drugs for many years are now also experimenting with taking other substances which can make a user “increasingly susceptible to a fatal overdose”.

He said such deaths are “unnecessary” and could be prevented with the right kind of help, empathy and professional support.

The ONS figures also show the age standardised mortality rate – which accounts for age and population size – stood at 2.9 drug-related deaths per 100,000 people in Barnet between 2020 and 2022.

It was below the overall rate for England, of 8.1 deaths per 100,000 people.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.