Better drug and alcohol services and more transparency required in Scotland

A new report has told the Scottish Government that drug and alcohol services in the country need a clear overarching plan and should be less complex.

Findings from the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission also suggest data on what is being done to tackle substance abuse and where money is being spent should be more readily available.

Drug-related deaths have been rising steeply since 2013. A record 1,339 people lost their lives to drugs in 2020 – the highest rate in Europe.

Alcohol deaths have been decreasing since the early 2000s, but rose by 16 per cent in 2020, when there were 1,190 deaths.

"We've recently seen more drive and leadership around drug and alcohol misuse from the Scottish Government. But it's still hard to see what impact policy is having on people living in the most deprived areas, where long-standing inequalities remain." Said Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland.

"Drug and alcohol data is not good enough, and there is a lack of transparency about how money is being spent and allocated." He continued.

"The Scottish Government needs to set out an integrated plan, with clear measures showing how extra spending is being used to reduce the tragic loss of life we've seen over the last decade."

William Moyes, Chair of the Accounts Commission said:

“Delivery of drug and alcohol services in Scotland is complex and difficult to navigate, with many organisations working across different sectors. What we need to see now is clearer accountability across all partners.

"In the longer term, more focus is needed on the root causes of drug and alcohol dependency and breaking the cycle of harm stretching down generations and across communities."

Alcohol needs to be a focus

Alcohol groups have said that a lot of focus has rightly gone towards drug abuse in the past two years, they are urging that it's important help for those struggling with a drinking problem improves too.

Elinor Jayne, Director of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), said:

“There is no doubt that something needs to change in the provision of services for people with alcohol problems in Scotland

"While the focus for the past eighteen months has very much been on reducing the harms caused by drugs, we need to see the same level of priority for addressing the harms caused by alcohol, particularly as the Scottish Government has previously recognised the ‘twin public health emergencies of drug deaths and alcohol harms’.

“An overarching strategy that allows transparency and accountability would be a welcome step, but what we really need now is a clear vision of how the right services for people with alcohol problems are going to be provided, and more fundamentally, how Scotland is going to be a fairer place to live so that people currently living in the poorest communities are not continually subjected to a significantly higher risk of dying due to alcohol.”

Scottish Government to "consider" the findings

A Scottish Government spokesperson welcomed the findings and say it'll consider all of them carefully.

But the Government has also raised some concerns.

The spokesperson said:

“As the report recognises, the Scottish Government is investing significant leadership and investment into the National Mission to improve and save lives, at the heart of which is ensuring everyone can access the right treatment and recovery for them.

“We are investing record sums in the provision of services to address the impacts of both alcohol and drug use. In 2021/22, we provided the first £50m of additional National Mission funding, which will see an additional £250m invested over the life of the Parliament to improve outcomes for people who are harmed by drugs, their families and communities.

"We are also exploring the evidence around Managed Alcohol Programmes and are pleased to be able to contribute to the running of the model being piloted in Glasgow by Simon Community Scotland and its evaluation.

“The report highlights the need for better and more up to date data to monitor progress. In December 2021, the Minister for Drugs Policy announced £1.1m of new investment into public health surveillance projects to improve our real-time understanding of harms to enable better and faster responses.

"We will shortly be announcing a target to commence on 1 April which will increase the number of people in protective treatment for problematic drug use.

"We are also working with Public Health Scotland to improve alcohol treatment data, including the development of PHS’s surveillance system.

“We are also working closely with Integration Authorities on accountability and transparency, and recently approved a new governance framework with COSLA. This will improve the effectiveness of Alcohol and Drug Partnerships in advance of the more ambitious reforms under the new National Care Service.”

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