Thursday, February 03, 2005

Drugs Rehab

Spent the morning at the Princess Diana Drugs Rehabilitation Centre in Mundesley yesterday. I took IDS there in December but thought I would go back on my own to learn a bit more about what they do. Met several of the patients, all of whom were fearful of the elevel of support theyw ould get in the commmunity when they had finished their treatment. This was exemplified by a guy I had met in December who had been there for 8 months and had become completely free of drugs. he is now in a hostel in King's Lynn sharing a room with a man who openly takes drugs. This is terrible. I've taken it upon myself to try to find him alternative accommodation but I can't say I'm hopeful. It seems from what I have found out about the area of drugs rehab that the whole system is a shambles. Mundlesley has room for 70 people yet it has fewer than 40 because of local authority and social services bureaucracy. If we actually managed our rehab policy properly the crime rate would plummet.

In the evening I drove down to London to a dinner of the 1922 Committee at the Savoy. Michael Howard gave a truly inspiring speech.

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