Citizens focus panel - the impact of substance misuse in Cheshire survey

Healthwatch Cheshire East and Healthwatch Cheshire West and Chester wanted to ensure that the local area’s Combatting Drugs Partnership understood the impact that substance misuse has on the residents of Cheshire. 28 members of their Citizens Focus Panel responded to this survey. Of these,  8 o had personally been impacted by substance misuse, and 10 respondents said they had friends/family affected by it.

Over a quarter of respondents knew someone who accessed substance misuse services. Most of the respondents who used the service knew where to go to get the support they needed such as Alcoholics Anonymous or narcotics groups. 12% of respondents reported that the support was effective, while 8% reported it was not.

Half of the panel members had expressed that substance misuse had a negative impact on their local communities, such as a rise in antisocial behaviour.

Respondents shared ideas that could help reduce the harm caused by substance misuse. This included: raising awareness about the subject, health education in school, support from health authorities, increasing support to groups that help users, and collaborative multi-agency work.