Drug Misuse Prevention Quality Standards
This quality standard covers the prevention or delay of harmful use of drugs by children, young people and adults most likely to start using drugs, or already experimenting or using drugs occasionally. This includes illegal psychoactive substances, solvents, volatile substances, image- and performance-enhancing drugs, prescription-only medicines and over-the-counter medicines. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.
It does not cover people who are already dependent on drugs, people who use drugs regularly and excessively, or people who are part of ongoing drug treatment and recovery.
It does not cover broader activities, both population-level (universal) and targeted, that aim to build people's skills, resilience and ability to make positive decisions about their health and which address the wider determinants of health. For more information, see the NICE guidance on lifestyle and wellbeing.
Keeping quality standards up to date
This quality standard is reviewed each year and updated if needed.
Next review: August 2018
Quality standard development process
How we develop NICE quality standards
Endorsing bodies
This quality standard is endorsed by Department of Health and Social Care as required by the Health and Social Care Act (2012).
Supporting organisations
A number of organisations recognise the benefit of this quality standard in improving care. They work with us to promote it to commissioners and service providers: