Ministers back drug addicts' right to NHS care

Published on Saturday 22 March 2008 18:46

DRUG addicts deserve the same care from the NHS and councils as anyone else and should not be treated as "second-class citizens", ministers have declared.

A major report into Scotland's drugs crisis will this week conclude that addicts are not getting enough support when they attempt to kick the habit.

Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing said it was time to ensure addicts had "the same care and treatment as the rest of us".

The report comes with ministers preparing to unveil a new drugs strategy which will place fresh emphasis on getting addicts off drugs.

The methadone programme will continue but ministers say they also want to plough more resources into work to get addicts drug-free. So-called "cold-turkey" abstinence programmes are among those being considered.

This week's report – titled Essential Care – calls for a change in the way addicts are treated, focusing on how they might recover from their addiction. Ewing said: "The Essential Care report contains a number of welcome recommendations which are already being looked at as we develop our new drugs strategy.

"Substance users have the right to the same care and treatment as the rest of us and shouldn't be treated as second-class citizens.

It is essential that people experiencing drug problems have access to a range of wider services, including employment, housing, health that help them to move-on and rebuild their lives."

Dr Brian Kidd, the chairman of the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse sub-committee which produced the report, described the main conclusion as being "visionary", and said: "We believe there needs to be a major change in the philosophy of care for problem substance use in Scotland – focused on the recovery of each individual and putting service users' aspirations at the centre of care.

"This will not be achieved overnight but with the development of a new national drugs strategy there has perhaps never been a more fitting time to raise aspirations."