Who are we?
The National Drug Evidence Centre (NDEC) is part of the Centre for Epidemiology in the School of Health Sciences, which is one of 3 Schools in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health.
NDEC is a cross-Divisional group that carries out epidemiological, evaluative and policy related research in the field of substance misuse, with a focus on surveillance and evaluation of substance misuse treatment.
We collaborate closely with Public Health England (PHE) to monitor and evaluate substance misuse treatment (NDTMS), and with a European Centre (EMCDDA) to provide treatment surveillance data for the UK.
We have an ongoing collaboration with Change, Grow, Live (CGL), the main national provider of clinical treatment for substance misuse, contributing our research expertise to maximise use of real world data for service users’ benefit.
Led by: Dr Andrew Jones (Population Health) and Professor Tim Millar (Psychology)
Our research
Our research has included the following themes and projects:
- Outcomes research: including a national survey of drug treatment in England and on-going analysis of the national treatment surveillance system (National Drug Treatment Monitoring System – NDTMS);
- Policy evaluation: including evaluation of impact of payment by results commissioning schemes;
- Resource allocation: providing analysis to inform the Department of Health’s allocation of drug and alcohol specific Public Health funds.
- Web delivery of output from the national treatment surveillance system to inform commissioners and the public and maximise translation of knowledge about treatment engagement.
- The largest studies to date, internationally, investigating all-cause mortality, overdose mortality, suicide, and the effect of treatment in ameliorating mortality risk among opioid users, based on analysis of multi-source, linked datasets.
- Exploring the links between drug use and criminal behaviour and the ways in which treatment may change patterns of offending, based on analysis of large, multi-source, linked datasets.
- Collaborative, cross-European work exploring pathways to recovery from addiction.
- Work with the Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, investigating behavioural addictions and the links between alcohol use and violence.
- Collaborative work with CGL investigating the prevalence of fentanyl use in England