Our 2019-20 IMS Annual Report covers activity recorded by 58 services and 99 pharmacies for individuals across Cheshire and Merseyside, and includes details within three distinct cohort groups: (1) individuals injecting pyschoactive drugs, (2) individuals injecting steroids or IPEDs, and (3) individuals using support services related to alcohol or non-injecting drug use.

This IMS report compliments information contained in the IMS data tables document.

Our 2020 Cheshire & Merseyside Drug Related Deaths conference took place as an online event on Thursday 26th September 2020.

Video and presentations from the event are available on the DRD event page.

This year's annual IMS user group event took place on the 19th September 2019, at Liverpool John Moores University's Exchange Station.

As well as a summary of IMS activity for the past year and an overview of drug related death reporting, presentations were given by two IMS reporting services; the New Start 'RISE' Harm Reduction Service, and the Footsteps Project.

More details are available on the IMS user group event page.

Our 2018-19 IMS Annual Report covers activity recorded by 55 services and 95 pharmacies for individuals across Cheshire and Merseyside, and includes details within three distinct cohort groups: (1) individuals injecting pyschoactive drugs, (2) individuals injecting steroids or IPEDs, and (3) individuals using support services related to alcohol or non-injecting drug use.

This IMS report is also accompanied by a separate supplementary report which contains the supporting data tables.

"The number of individuals engaged in structured drug treatment programmes in England has declined over recent years, but this has been a trend which has occurred alongside another development, that of an increasing number of drug related deaths (DRDs), culminating last year with ONS reporting the highest number of DRDs on record. Delivery of needle and syringe programmes (NSP) in England is not monitored in the same way as drug treatment programmes, at least at a national level, but local monitoring systems provide information which points to a different picture than that which national drug treatment programme data might suggest."

The above excerpt is taken from our guest article available on the NNEF website: http://nnef.org.uk/updates

The National IPED Info Survey is an annual survey exploring image and performance drug use in Wales, England and Scotland. The report from the 2016 survey is available here: 2016 Survey Results

The Centre for Public Health was recently granted Institute status and on 1st August 2016 we became the Public Health Institute. More information about the Public Health Institute is available at: www.ljmu.ac.uk/phi

The Integrated Monitoring System (IMS) was recognised as a shortlisted finalist in the ‘Best example of advancing local NHS systems for innovation’ category at the 2015 North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards. The North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards is a collaborative celebration event between the North West Coast Academic Health Science Network, and CRN: North West Coast: www.nwcawards.co.uk

IMS is featured in the Improve and Protect programme produced by RSPH and ITN Productions, the programme features monitoring systems provided by the Public Health Institute. An excerpt from the programme is available on our media & videos page. The full programme and further details about RSPH on their webpages: www.rsph.org.uk