WORCESTER doctors are ploughing in extra cash to help heroin users struggling to come off the addictive drug.

The additional funds will be used to employ a doctor to work alongside GPs in providing help to clients.

Neill Bucktin, chief officer of Worcester City Primary Care Group, revealed £35,000-£40,000 was being made available for consultant support for heroin users.

"A lot of GPs in Worcester are uncomfortable with prescribing methadone and managing these patients," he said.

"It's not something they think is part of routine primary care, and one of the ways round that is to provide them with additional care so if they have someone with a heroin problem, there's someone to assist them.

"It's fair to say sometimes these people can be quite difficult to deal with."

Drug users in Worcester currently face a four-month wait to access referral programmes.

Many addicts are caught up in a depressing cycle of thieving to support their habits, and yesterday the Evening News revealed almost £250,000 was to be injected into the city in the next three years to help stamp out drug-related crime.

Theft

In a recent case heard by Droitwich magistrates, a man desperate to receive help for his addiction, committed a theft in a bid to land a place on one of the scarce rehabilitation programmes.

Richard Allsup, service manager of Turning Point in Worcester, which last year helped more than 1,000 users and runs six needle-exchange clinics, welcomed extra money from the GPs, but said a joint agency approach was needed for the best results.

"Illicit drug use is steadily increasing and becoming more available and progressively cheaper," he said.

"I think GPs are in a difficult dilemma of wishing to provide a response but not necessarily being equipped to provide it.

"To respond properly, they need variety - both medical help and the emotional, psychological and social support and if that can be provided in partnership with other agencies then things, from our experience, work out best.

"If pieces of the jigsaw are missing it is difficult to get a good result."