National survey of alcohol treatment agencies in England: Characteristics of treatment agencies

Background: To map and contact all specialist alcohol treatment services in England and to investigate the characteristics of responding agencies.Methods: A national cross-sectional survey of alcohol treatment agencies in England. A questionnaire was designed to gather information about agency characteristics, including the service structure, staffing, modalities of treatment, and associated funding.Results: A total of 696 alcohol treatment agencies were mapped, of which 388 (55.7%) responded to the survey. Variations in agency characteristics were noticed across geographical regions, as well as across sectors. The estimated annual spending on alcohol treatment was £217 million.Conclusions: Whereas the regional variation in agency characteristics has implications for access to particular types of treatment, the inter-sector variation has implications for the allocation of funding. The estimated annual spending of £217 million is greater than previous national estimates. A national framework for alcohol se...