Dundee's main drug support centre "not fit for purpose"

Dundee's main support centre for people with drug addictions is "not for purpose."

That's the conclusion of a 15 month review by the drugs commission - which has found users were stigmatised when they reached out to Constitution House for help.

Robert Peat, chair of the commission said it's leaving people "stuck in the system."

"So many people have been funneled into the main treatment service, they're struggling to cope with the demand," he said.

"They're not enabling people to move out. It should now focus on its main purpose of being a specialist service."

The independent review highlighted 16 recommendations for the Dundee Partnership to consider in a bid to tackle the city's increasing number of drug related deaths.

Former heroin user turned support worker Sharon Brand says all of them need to be implemented.

"I hope that everybody will take the recommendations seriously and use them as a guidance.

"They should be going above and beyond what those recommendations are and it should have happened along time ago."

Council leader John Alexander is promising action will be taken.

"We now will take forward those action plans," he said.

"The Dundee Partnership will meet in September to consider all of those recommendations and decide how we will take these forward."

"More importantly we'll set timescale to complete those recommendations."

Grant Alexander, Chief Executive of NHS Tayside, says positive changes can be made.

"I am very confident that the people I work with in the council, in the AHSP (Academic Health Science Partnership in Tayside), the police and other services can make a difference

"Leadership will be strong at all levels of the organisation. This is a learning point and we now must demonstrate that we are effective."

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