Health bosses challenged over lack of de-tox beds

Health bosses have been challenged to step up to the mark to deal with Wrexham's drug problem.

Plaid Cymru councillors in Wrexham say the health board is failing to play its part in dealing with the ongoing problems facing the town. Plaid's group leader Marc Jones said: 

"Here in Wrexham we have Hafan Wen, a de-tox centre with 25 beds near the Maelor Hospital. Originally all 25 beds were commissioned by Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board for people wanting to get off drugs or alcohol here in north Wales. 

 "Despite rising demand, BCUHB now only commissions 13 of those beds and the result is a wait of up to five months to access the service. Given the nature of the problem facing those trying to come off drugs and alcohol that is way too long to wait.  

 "The problems caused as a result of not having quicker access to de-tox are hugely damaging for the people involved and also the wider community, which is having to live with the consequences of this very visible drug problem. 

"This is not the solution to the problems we're facing in Wrexham but it is one step to finding a comprehensive answer."

The other 12 beds in Hafan Wen are now commissioned by health authorities in England, where patients can often get a bed within a matter of weeks. 

Cllr Jones added: 

"Given the scale of the problem we're facing, it doesn't make sense to have a de-tox service in the town that people locally can't access. De-tox is the first step to rehabilitation. We're calling on health board bosses to invest in long-term solutions rather than maintaining the problem as it is."

Cllr Jones said many of the homeless in Wrexham had underlying drug and alcohol problems as well as mental health issues, which made it all the more important that the health board engaged more fully with the council, the police and other agencies in tackling one of the town's most pressing problems.