Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government provides funding to support our local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) who are responsible for the design and delivery of treatment and recovery pathways at the local level. They ensure a full range of recovery services are available such as aftercare, detox, residential rehabilitation and psychosocial treatments.

In 2022-23, £106.8 million was made available to ADPs, and nationally there is ongoing work including the expansion of our residential rehabilitation capacity by 50% by the end of the current Parliament and the UK Alcohol Treatment Guidelines which are currently out for public consultation until 8 December 2023.

Scottish Government also provides funding towards specific projects that support those with alcohol dependency, such as the Managed Alcohol Programme pilot being delivered by Simon Community Scotland in Glasgow.

One of the key aims of the National Mission is to improve and save lives by ensuring that every individual has access to, and choice in the type of recovery and treatment they need. In response to the Changing Lives report published by the Drug Deaths Taskforce, the Scottish Government published a Cross Government Plan which sets out examples of how we are improving alcohol and drug services to make them more flexible, convenient, accessible and easier to navigate.

For example, we are supporting local areas further develop their assertive outreach programmes both through the implementation of the MAT standards and in other ways such as the Primary Care Alcohol Nurse Outreach Service (PCANOS), which embeds specialist harm reduction services within Deep End GP practices and supports patients in engaging with and navigating treatment services.

We are also investing in residential rehabilitation to ensure people can access help when they need it and have established an Expert Group to recommend improvements for crisis management and stabilisation.

In addition, we sponsor a number of third sector organisations which offer convenient and accessible technology-based help, advice and treatment for people with problematic drinking, for example, Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs and We Are With You, who also provide a live web chat services which have improved engagement for many people.

We are also supporting the UK Government in developing the clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment, which were published for public consultation on 16 October 2023. The guidelines encourage more flexible and convenient interventions by using digital technologies when appropriate.

We are aware that stigma can act as a barrier preventing people from seeking treatment. This is why we are taking actions to reduce the stigma around alcohol misuse.

For example, last year we ran a national campaign to increase people’s awareness that a drug or alcohol problem is a health condition, which requires help and support and not judgement. We also referenced stigma on the NHS Inform website , which reinforces the message that a drug or alcohol problem is a health condition requiring help.

In addition, we published a cross-government Stigma Action Plan , aimed at tackling the stigma of substance use. We are working with a range of partners and stakeholders to co-design the next phase on the details of the actions outlined in the plan.

We also welcome the ‘See Beyond, see the lives’ campaign , which recognises the importance of supporting the families of people with problem substance use, who are often stigmatised and excluded from support, despite experiencing harms in their own right. In delivering the actions in our stigma action plan we will work with families to ensure that we can tackle the specific types of stigma that they experience both in accessing services and support and in daily life.

Moreover, we are planning to ensure treatment standards for alcohol, informed by the UK-wide clinical guidelines, will introduce new approaches to treatment, including non-stigmatising service delivery.

Scottish Government has outlined the importance of a person-centred approach to treatment in it’s alcohol and drug treatment strategy, Rights, Respect, Recovery . By developing recovery oriented systems of care and creating services that are trauma informed, the root causes of problematic alcohol and/or drug use can be identified and supported.

We recognise the many drivers behind problematic use of drugs and alcohol, and the importance of working together to address the underlying causes, providing support to those affected to live full and healthy lives.

We are tackling this by ensuring a holistic approach and strengthening links between work on poverty, structural inequality, education, children and young people and work on alcohol and drug policy.

We continue to work with HSCPs to implement the guidance. Chief Officers have been reminded of their duties and we are currently establishing a short life working group. This group will support implementation and ensure adequate provision of equipment, including short-term wheelchair loans, is available.

Since 24th March, a further five HSCPs have now implemented guidance on the provision of short-term wheelchair loans, taking the total to thirteen. A further eight are in the early implementation stage.

The Scottish Government supports and encourages an environment where those working in our health service feel confident to raise any concerns they may have, in the knowledge that these will be treated seriously and, where appropriate, fully investigated. Boards are expected to investigate concerns fairly and appropriately in line with national policies.

The Scottish Government expect NHS Forth Valley to work closely with trade unions to address and resolve concerns.

An Assurance Board was established in December 2023 to monitor and scrutinise NHS Forth Valley against an agreed Improvement Plan. The Assurance Board has met 13 times and continues to meet monthly to review progress.

All NHSScotland Health Boards report directly to the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO) on the recommendations from investigation reports. The Scottish Government do not become involved in INWO investigations, instead we will seek assurance through regular contact with Board officials and through the annual Staff Governance Monitoring exercise that actions are taken in line with the report.

NHSScotland supports and encourages an environment where those working in our health service feel confident to raise any concerns they may have, in the knowledge that these will be treated seriously, and where appropriate, fully investigated. This includes concerns about staffing levels and any compromise to patient safety. Boards are expected to investigate concerns in line with the NHSScotland Whistleblowing Policy.

The Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO) was set up to provide a mechanism for external review where there are concerns of how a Health Board, primary care or independent provider has handled a Whistleblowing case.

Additionally, the Scottish Government seek assurance of the whistleblowing support in place for staff, as well as the process in Boards through regular contact with Board Executives, the Board Whistleblowing Champions, and via the annual Staff Governance Monitoring exercise.