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Needs Assessment: A Practical Guide to Assessing Local Needs for Services for Drug Users
Appendix 2: Important Sources of Information for Needs Assessment
1. Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD)
The SCMD is an important and widely used national information source on drug misuse in Scotland. It is based on a systematic recording of a universal database on new clients/patients seen at a wide range of services throughout Scotland. Information is collected on new clients using a standard form (the SMR24 form). This data is published annually as
Drug Misuse Statistics in Scotland. The 2001 publication is at:
http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/abstracts/drugstats2001.htm .
2. Assessment data
Assessments are commonly carried out when individuals first enter a project or a service, and at appropriate times during the process of care. The main purpose of the assessment is to collect information to help plan the care process. However, information from the assessment process can also inform a needs assessment. More information about how to use assessment data is available in the following documents:
Both these documents are available from:
www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/eiu/eiu.htm
3. The National Prevalence Study: Estimating the National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Misuse in Scotland (2001)
This study uses capture-recapture methodology to estimate the prevalence of opiate and benzodiazepine use in the Scottish population in 2000. Results from this study are summarised in Chapter 2 of the ISD Annual Bulletin on Drug Misuse Statistics in Scotland:
http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/01bull/full/chapter2.pdf .
A second prevalence study is being carried out in 2003. This study will again look at the prevalence of opiate and benzodiazepine use, but will also estimate the prevalence of psychostimulant use by opiate service users. The findings will be reported in September 2004 at Health Board, Local Authority, Police Force, DAAT and LHCC areas. The study is being carried out by the Centre for Drug Misuse Research at the University of Glasgow. Further information is available from: Dr Gordon Hay,
G.Hay@socsci.gla.ac.uk, 0141 330 3615.
4. Data from statutory agencies
Police: To access local information, contact your local police force. To find out contact details for your local police force go to:
http://www.scottish.police.uk/mainframe.htm .
Scottish Prisons: A wide range of information on Scottish prisons and prisoners can be accessed from Scottish Prison Service on:
http://www.sps.gov.uk /. The Prison Service conducts an annual survey of prisoners. This survey was introduced to the Scottish Prison Service in 1990 as a mechanism to inform and support the Service's business planning process. The focus of the survey has expanded over the years to seek views on such issues as drug use, programme involvement, sentence management, mental heath, safety, change, bullying, etc. The results of the 2003 Prison Survey, which includes prisoners' experiences of drug use in prison, is available from:
http://www.sps.gov.uk/keydocs/survey_results/default.asp .
Social Work and Housing Departments: Information on your local area should be accessed from your local Departments. You will find contact details for your local Departments from the Council of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) on:
www.cosla.gov.uk . The Website of LARIA (the Local Authorities Research & Intelligence Association) may also be a helpful source of information. LARIA was established in 1974 to promote the role and practice of research within the field of local government and provide a supportive network for those conducting or commissioning research. The LARIA website is at:
http://www.laria.gov.uk /.
5. Population surveys
SALSUS: The Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS) has been established by the Scottish Executive to monitor substance use among young people in Scotland. SALSUS continues the biennial series of school surveys that have been commissioned by the Scottish Executive since 1982. The survey is the first in the series to provide local level information on smoking, drinking and drug use to Drug and Alcohol Action Teams, NHS Boards and local authorities, together with information on other lifestyle, health and social factors. SALSUS is carried out in 2002 and 2004 by the Child and Adolescent Health Research Unit (CAHRU) at the University of Edinburgh. Further information about SALSUS and local area reports are available from:
http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/abstracts/salsus.htm .
Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity in Great Britain: This household survey of psychiatric morbidity (including drug, alcohol and tobacco use) was carried out in Scotland, England and Wales in 1993/94 and again in 2000. The latest survey covers 16- to 74-year-olds. The surveys have resulted in a series of reports. Unfortunately, the report,
Tobacco, alcohol and drug use and mental health, based on data from the 2000 survey, does not present breakdowns by country. Nevertheless, this report is useful for showing the extent of co-morbid psychiatric and substance use problems. The report is available from the National Statistics website:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk /. (Search for "tobacco, alcohol and drug use".) The National Statistics website includes a comprehensive range of official UK statistics, as well as free access to a selection of publications.
Scottish Crime Survey: This is a household survey providing an index of crime in Scotland. It complements the official police recorded crime statistics by estimating the extent of crimes that are experienced by people, whether or not they are reported to or recorded by the police. The Survey also collects information on a range of other crime-related issues (e.g. concern about crime; attitudes to the police; drug misuse; domestic violence). To access data from the Fifth Scottish Crime Survey (2000) go to:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/kd01/green/csor-00.asp .
6. Reports of needs assessments carried by Drug and Alcohol Action Teams throughout Scotland
The official website of the Scottish Drug and Alcohol Action Teams gives details of DAAT publications - many of which relate to needs assessments. For further information, visit:
http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/dat/dat.htm , and select "All DAT Publications".
7. Published research papers and other information about effective interventions
The Scottish Executive Social Research website includes reports of social research commissioned by the Executive. The Criminal Justice publications include an evaluation of the Fife and Glasgow Drug Courts. This site also includes a link to EIU publications. For further information, see:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/ASD/CSU/00017692/Introduction.aspx
The Drug Misuse Information Strategy Team at the Information and Statistics Division also maintains a database of publications related to drug misuse. A complete list of publications is available from:
http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/publications.aspx .
Evidence on the effectiveness of interventions for drug misuse is available in the published research. Information about published papers are available in a number of electronic databases. Most of these will require you to register in order to get access to the data. Two particularly useful sites include the Cochrane Library (
http://www.nelh.nhs.uk/cochrane ) and the NHS Scotland elibrary website (
http://www.elib.scot.nhs.uk/).
The magazine
Drug and Alcohol Findings, publishes information on effective interventions for those with problem drug and alcohol use. The magazine is published quarterly and is available by subscription. For details go to
http//www.drugandalcoholfindings.org1 .
8. Getting further help
The document by Hooper and Longworth (2002) referred to a number of times in this guide, is a 'Health Needs Assessment Workbook'. It contains a number of practical exercises and helpful worksheets which can be adapted for the purpose of needs assessment in fields other than health.
The Director of Public Health in each local NHS Board is responsible for assessing the health needs of his or her local population. Public Health consultants have a great deal of expertise of needs assessment, and would be able to provide advice and information about potentially useful sources of data.
Those doing needs assessment in the NHS may also be able to get help from Trust clinical governance units or their equivalent, particularly regarding the design of questionnaires and data analysis.
Many Local Authorities and NHS Boards also now employ individuals with special skills in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). GIS is a powerful tool which enables the "mapping" of geographical data - that is, data on individuals which contains addresses or postcodes. GIS can be used to show where the members of your target population live. This information may be especially useful when compared to a map showing the location of existing services.
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