Getting funding for rehab treatment

June 9, 2025

6:13 am

Addictive substances can ruin lives

Getting funding for rehab treatment need not be a minefield. Addiction treatment and/or treatment at home need not be costly but there is some financial commitment. While it may not be anywhere near as expensive as you might think, for some, the cost is a big ask and a major outlay.

As with all things in life, if you have the financial means, you can access services right away. Some people get help with funding from friends and family, others use their health insurance. While you can compare the cost of groceries on the internet, arranging a treatment plan in rehab is slightly more complicated.

Someone may only want to go into treatment for a week, but it may not be clinically viable. Furthermore, while having treatment at home can, sometimes, cost less than residential treatment, it is not always appropriate.

Rehab treatment is not like booking a holiday. While, of course, it is important to make the right choice, certain factors can preclude selecting treatment that you would like.

You may be looking for alcohol addiction rehab or drug addiction rehab UK. If you are, call Find Me a Rehab for free, independent and impartial advice in total confidence. We provide 24 hour addiction help to all.

Getting funding for rehab treatment

Can I get free treatment on the NHS?

In England and Wales? No. Addiction services, in England and Wales are provided through your local authority. Services are based, entirely, on your postcode. You can not use services in another area or simply pop across Hadrian’s Wall, put on a Scottish accent and ask NHS Scotland to help you! Even in Scotland the system is similar to that of the UK.

Local services will do all they can to assist you. However, they operate under tight budgetary constraints and to get admitted to a funded rehab is a very long and arduous process with no assurance at the end that you will get admitted. Many, again due to budgetary constraints, will only pay for a detox and then a separate rehab, if they pay for rehab at all.

How do they allocate funding?

Funding has to be approved, via a funding panel, and the clients keyworker will only be able to put a case forward for funding if that person has attended groupwork sessions, as well as individual keywork sessions, sometimes over many months. There may well be substitute medication provided for opioid patients and gaps in treatment may render the person unsuitable for statutory funding. The keyworker you see will not be a therapist or clinician though they may be able to arrange for you to see one.

What rehabs do statutory services use?

Statutory services have agreements with rehab centres/detox units where the cost, per client, is far lower than could be achieved if a private client made an enquiry as to treatment. Some of these are only open to referrals from statutory services, while others will also accept private clients.

There is also a large chain of rehab centres who accept “block bed” clients in that they reserve a number of beds for statutory clients ready for use at anytime. Some private clients may not wish to use these centres as they will be more entry level rather than luxury offerings.

A number of statutory clients will be more chaotic and chronic than private clients are used to and this could be a consideration when choosing where to go.

We provide 24 hour addiction help. Call and speak to an experienced addictions clinician at Find Me a Rehab if you are looking for drug addiction rehab UK or alcohol addiction rehab: Maybe you need both. Our advice is free, confidential and impartial.

Getting funding for rehab treatment

What is the difference between detox and rehab?

In the private sector, all rehab centres provide a detox, those who need it, as part of the rehab process: Not everybody does. However, everyone caught up in active addiction needs rehab. Statutory services simply don’t have the funds to provide this to everyone.

They have to protect budgets so will only provide the most basic of treatment plans possible. They have a duty of care, but only to what is reasonable. To reduce cost, Many statutory services separate detox and rehab (at two different centres) and there may be a gap between discharge from the first centre, where detox is undertaken, and rehab.

Is this an issue?

This can be very problematic: Sometimes dangerous. For example, if you are opioid dependent and go in for a detox, at the successful completion of that element of treatment you will be opioid free. However, it is likely you will still be craving and, combined with a lack of physical tolerance, this places you at a very significant risk of overdose if you use.

A detox unit is just that. While they may have some form of activities to attend, the majority of the day is unsupervised. For someone in active addiction this is not a good idea.

Can I get credit for a rehab stay?

Credit brokers will not offer finance for addiction treatment. While you can get interest free credit for elective surgery in a private hospital, different rules apply for the addiction sector. Some centres will let you pay half at the start of treatment, with the remainder at the half way point. Those seeking treatment often seek support from friends, family and employers, some use crowdfunding.

Health insurance

Some clients use private medical insurance to fund treatment. This could be a personal plan or one provided by an employer. There is an important caveat here in that a lot of medical insurance policies preclude addiction treatment. Not all centres will accept insurance clients and those that do may not be the closet ones to you.

How to get help

Here at Find Me a Rehab, we have addictions clinicians with a wealth of experience who provide 24 hour addiction help, If you are looking for alcohol addiction rehab treatment or drug addiction rehab UK, call for free, independent, impartial and confidential advice. Getting funding for rehab treatment might seem complicated but it doesn’t need to be. Call and speak to an experienced addictions clinician today.