The health service's report into drink and drugs (see link below) has identified two major issues with the island’s substance strategy.

It states that the island has a ’chronic lack of robust data’ as well as ’the absence of formal pathways, service specification, performance and outcome monitoring’.

The lack of data means the island is severely lacking in quantifiable data which leads to a gap in evidence, and therefore in intelligence, in relation to drug and alcohol misuse.

This gap makes it harder to ’forecast future service needs’, ’evaluate the outcomes of interventions’, ’profile adults in the community to identify those who are most at risk of drug and alcohol misuse’ and ’identify which drugs are being used by people in the wider community who are not in touch with services’.

There is a lack of evidence-based information about interventions reducing increasing risks and higher risk drinking, which the report calls ’a clear gap in current provision’.

There is also a gap in information about drug and alcohol clients who are deemed suitable and stable for primary care, as there are currently no formal sharing arrangements in place with GPs.

As well as this, the report criticises the lack of service specifications, formal pathways and performance and outcome monitoring.

It gives the example of the lack of service for blood-borne viruses such as HIV or hepatitis B for people who inject drugs such as heroin and steroids.

However, the report adds: ’Ensuring the quality and delivery of targeted interventions across all agencies that will meet quality standards and are in line with current best practice.’

In regards to steroids, ’the JSNA identified that there was anecdotal evidence from the needle exchange service that indicated people on the island are injecting steroids’.

Health Minister David Ashford said: ’We will work with key agencies to better understand image and performance enhancing drugs use and raise awareness of the harm associated with their use such as blood borne infections and cardiovascular problems.’

l Pictured: Dolph Lundgren, his character Ivan Drago took steroids in the movie Rocky 4.