Dame Carol told us that she had challenged government to work together in a more collaborative and integrated way to deliver system-wide change. The whole system needs to join up to support longer-term recovery and enhanced rehabilitation, including mental health support, housing and getting people into work.29 We were concerned that there had not been a fundamental shift in approach, with the NAO’s report showing that much of the strategy funding had been used to expand or extend existing projects.30 The JCDU told us that it was starting to see change – such as the creation of 10,000 of the intended 12,000 new drug treatment places in the last six months (an increase on the March 2023 figure of 2,600 in the NAO’s report).31 The Home Office also provided written evidence after the session on what it and other departments are doing to improve the provision of housing and support for prison leavers with drug addiction issues.32 However, the JCDU acknowledged that reforms, including cultural change, are long-term aims and it will take 20 Correspondence from Department for Health and Social Care, 4 January 2024 21 Q 3 22 Q 58 23 Q 6 24 Q 55 25 Q 79 26 Q 102 27 Qq 16, 106 28 Q 113 29 Q 3 30 Q 55; C&AG’s Report para 9 31 Q 55; C&AG’s Report para 2.16 32 Correspondence from Home Office, 15 December 2023 Reducing the harm from illegal drugs 11 time to see the changes envisaged by Dame Carol.33 In addition, local areas have found it harder to recruit more professional workers, such as psychologists and mental health nurses, and retention in the sector is a problem, with turnover of 27% across third sector treatment providers.34