Scotland's drugs deaths: New rehab unit among list of measures to tackle crisis

A new residential rehabilitation facility, to support up to 20 families at any one time affected by drug addiction, is to be developed in North Ayrshire as part of a government response to Scotland’s spiralling drugs death fatalities.

A new rehab unit is to open in an attempt to tackle Scotland's drugs deaths toll.

A total of 1339 people died in 2020 according to the latest statistics, the seventh consecutive year the death toll has risen, with Scotland remaining top of a grim European league table.

The new unit will join the 19 other facilities across Scotland which provide live-in drug addiction rehabilitation, adding to the current total of 418 beds, though more than 100 of those are estimated to be used by non-Scottish residents at any one time.

The facility is part of a new package announced by drugs policy minister Angela Constance – who was appointed in the wake of the shocking 2019 death toll and the sacking of public health minister Joe FitzPatrick.

The announcement came as new Office for National Statistics for England and Wales reported a drugs deaths increase of 3.8 per cent south of the border on 2019 figures, a smaller rise than Scotland’s five per cent increase from the previous year, which widened the gap between the countries, with Scotland’s death toll already three and a half times higher.

Addressing a virtual meeting of the Scottish Parliament, Ms Constance said the new rehab facility will be run by the charity and housing association Phoenix Futures and be based in Saltcoats, and a target would be set for the number of people in treatment by 2022.

An urgent review has also been ordered on the use of "street benzos" as latest statistics showed they were implicated in 73 per cent of drug-related deaths last year, while research will also be done on the role and risks of methadone in drug related deaths. Further, an awareness campaign on stigma and its negative effect on people seeking treatment will be launched.

Ms Constance said: “Once again, Scotland drug-related death statistics are a national disgrace and my heart goes out to all the families who have lost a loved one.

“We announced a national mission on this crisis in January and we have been taking a range of actions to tackle this national tragedy backed by an investment of £250m over the next five years.

“Of that, £20 million each year is being spent on increasing capacity and improving access to residential rehabilitation and to that end, we have approved in principle an application for a development in North Ayrshire which will create a new national specialist service for families.

"It is vital that we make it easier for parents to access treatment by removing any barriers such as a lack of childcare and this project, run by Phoenix Futures will do exactly that.

“We know there is much work to do and that the investment we are making must reach those directly affected by drug use and I am absolutely determined to make every penny count.”

A mapping exercise of drug rehab beds in 2019/20 found a total of 365 residential rehabilitation beds among 18 facilities offering programmes aiming to support individuals to “attain an alcohol or drug-free lifestyle and be re-integrated into society”.

The report by the Scottish Drugs Forum found that the majority of facilities had a waiting list ranging from a few days to a year and wide variation in the range of services, the length of programmes and associated costs, with weekly charges ranging from £335 per-person to £3,489, with an average of £902.

A further exercise in January this year found the number of beds had risen to 418 with 75 per cent of services supplied by the voluntary or not-for-profit sector, three privately funded, and just two funded by the NHS.

Director of operations with Phoenix Futures, which will run the new unit, CJ Williams said: “There is a clear and defined need for a service that supports families to stay together in a safe residential setting. Phoenix Futures have decades of experience of providing services for families to draw from in establishing and operating this new project.”

However opposition MSPs said Ms Constance’s announcement was “too little, too late” after years of cuts to addiction services by the Scottish Government.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also said that the First Minister, rather than Ms Constance, should have delivered the statement on drugs deaths given the severity of the issue.

“Nicola Sturgeon cannot escape the fact that she and her party have been in government for almost 15 years, that she cut the budgets for drug and alcohol services and that under her watch our drugs deaths in Scotland are almost five times that of the rest of the UK despite having the same laws.

“The minister is right to say that this is Scotland’s national shame, but she must recognise that it is the Scottish National Party’s shame too.”

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the crisis demanded “leadership” and also queried why Ms Sturgeon had not led the government’s public statement.

"Where is the First Minister? She wasn’t at a memorial in Glasgow on Friday and she’s not speaking for her government today,” he said.

“It’s not enough for Nicola Sturgeon to say she took her eye off the ball. Words are not going to solve this crisis. People need action.

“When is the First Minister and this government going to wake up? When will she stop abandoning our communities? When is she going to listen to those on the frontline?”

Mr Ross said his party would bring forward a Right to Recovery Bill "to guarantee everyone gets the treatment they need” and challenged Ms Constance to back it.

Ms Constance said she would give it “serious and fair consideration”, and in response to complaints that she was making the statement said she had been appointed by Ms Sturgeon, had her appointment approved by Parliament, and reported directly to the First Minister.

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