Chamber and committees

Absolutely, convener. You have hit on an incredibly important area, particularly for the community and voluntary sector. As a Government, we would appreciate a greater line of sight on what budgets will look like, which would help us with our aspirations to provide multiyear funding settlements. We recognise that those who deliver statutory services would also benefit from that.

We are making some progress in that space. The funding that we provide to the Corra Foundation is an example of that. That is the route through which we are providing support for community and voluntary organisations to develop their services. I will bring in Maggie Page to develop that point.

Ms Haughey touches on an important issue. We all have agency in respect of tackling stigma, with regard to the language and terminology that we use and the recognition that drug or alcohol dependency is a health issue. Government can show clear leadership in that regard, and we are trying to do so.

Nonetheless, there is a role for, and a responsibility on, those who report the news to be cognisant of not only the people who have a drug or alcohol dependency, but their family members. They should ensure that the language that is used to describe those issues does not create greater barriers, or maintain barriers, that prevent people from feeling that they are able to access treatment. That is the stigma issue.

We need to move on from the stereotypes and some of the language that is and has traditionally been used in this area. That is clear in the language that we in Government use, and in how we approach the issue, and I believe that we are making progress on that as a Parliament, too. However, you are right that all of us, including our colleagues in the media, have a role to play in that regard.

It is important to proceed as I have just set out. There are recommendations in the report on which we are already making progress. I accept those areas of challenge, including around local leadership, that need to be addressed.

I welcome the report in general; it recognises—as I said in my opening statement—the national leadership that has been provided and the progress that is being made, and the progress that has been made through the interventions from the Scottish Drug Deaths taskforce.

We will respond more formally in due course, but I do not think that the committees will see much challenge from us to the report, if I can put it that way. We will take seriously the recommendations that are in there.

It is one aspect. The idea of getting it right for everyone is central not only to this policy area but to the wider health and social care policy work that we are taking forward. We must recognise that residential rehab will not work for everyone and that the abstinence route will not be the right route for everyone. Access to rehab is a central part of our national mission, as has been demonstrated by the investment we have made, but it is only one part. There are other elements, including the investment in the Corra Foundation to support community and voluntary elements.

The convener is right that there is interaction with the UK Government because of the legislation that governs our ability to roll out the naloxone programme. I do not have a specific update on the UK Government’s latest thinking on that, but I am aware of the prevalence of naloxone—it is being used and carried across statutory services, including by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland, and it is available further afield for those who are involved in alcohol and drug treatment. In addition, I believe that more than 30,000 take-home naloxone kits have been distributed, and I think that 530 doses have been administered by the police service.

We can confidently say that a substantial number of lives have been saved as a result of the naloxone programme. I commend all those in the public sector—including those in Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, as well as health professionals and others—who carry naloxone and are helping to save lives as a result.

There have been delays. Mr Balfour referenced that the facility was due to open in October. The Glasgow health and social care partnership is working with partners to ensure that it is operational as soon as possible. I am hopeful that that will happen before the end of the year.

Thank you very much, convener, and good morning, colleagues. I really appreciate the opportunity to answer your questions today.

I want to begin by wishing Christina McKelvie all the very best in her treatment. We look forward to her return as Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy.

We launched the national mission to reduce drug-related deaths in 2021. Since then, the Scottish Government and our partners have worked tirelessly to bring innovative, structural change to that complex emergency, and we remain fully committed to reducing drug deaths and harms. Backed by £2 million of investment from the Scottish Government, a safer drug consumption facility, the first in the United Kingdom, will open soon in Glasgow. That landmark evidence-based service, which was co-designed with local people using substances, will help protect those who are most vulnerable from overdose and reduce harm.

It is, however, just one of the programmes of work that we have been taking forward. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the wider action that we are taking to reduce harm and to improve the lives of people and communities that are impacted by drugs and alcohol.

On 31 October, Audit Scotland published a report on drug and alcohol services, which acknowledged that we have “improved national leadership” and have made significant progress in tackling Scotland’s long-standing issues with drugs and alcohol, notably through significant investment and innovative action in our national mission. That action includes widening access to life-saving Naloxone, expanding treatment capacity and increasing access to residential rehabilitation.

However, despite all the progress, there is more to be done. The report specifically draws attention to work on local accountability, so we are stepping up our work with local leaders to strengthen accountability against national and local outcomes. It also highlighted the need for a “whole-systems approach” and “more preventative” action, and I assure colleagues of the Government’s commitment in that area.

Our response to the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce’s recommendations has delivered progress, for example, the publication this September of the mental health and substance use protocol and our work to implement the “Drugs and Alcohol Workforce Action Plan 2023-2026”, which was published in December 2023. Our whole-systems approach to prevention aligns with our wider vision for health and social care—that of a Scotland where people, including those with drug and alcohol dependencies, live longer, healthier and fulfilling lives.

There is, however, clearly still more to be done. The first years of the national mission were about laying the foundations; we are now committed to building on those foundations while responding to new threats and challenges, such as the emergence of novel, stronger synthetic drugs, which pose increased risks to our communities.

Scotland’s drug and alcohol deaths remain too high—I am absolutely clear on that point. Each death is a tragedy—a life lost too soon—and it will be felt dearest by the families concerned. However, we are driven by a steadfast belief in the necessity and possibility of change, and we remain fully committed to delivering on our commitments.

I look forward to the opportunity to provide fuller updates during the meeting.

Mr Sweeney makes a good point. The work that we have been doing to support the health and social care partnership has been around ensuring that there is signposting and support available, so that those conversations can be had.

Maggie Page referenced the varying landscape in residential rehab in Scotland and what practices would be right for people. The Phoenix Futures centre, for instance, might not be appropriate for some people, so they might need to travel further afield. That is something for us to consider. As we look to increase the availability of residential rehab, we try to make sure that that is available as close to home as possible and that we have a variety of services available.

Mr Sweeney makes a cogent point about having services as close together as possible. That said, in some cases, we are reliant on others, particularly those from the community and voluntary sector, coming forward to deliver some of those services, particularly for residential rehab. Further work will be required if we are going to do that on a co-location basis.

That is a matter for the Lord Advocate. She will determine when it is right and appropriate to do that. I do not have any further update on her thinking on that or on the timescales that are involved.

As Mr Sweeney will understand, that is a matter for the health and social care partnership to consider. We already have a pretty lengthy opening period. I recognise his concern about what happens between 9 pm and 9 am, but this is a pilot and a test of change. It is an area for us to test and learn from. I fully anticipate that the health and social care partnership will look at whether availability could be increased, depending on what the demand looks like, but he will understand that that is a matter for the health and social care partnership to consider.