On 31 October, Audit Scotland published a report on the state of Alcohol and Drug services in Scotland.
Today’s report by Audit Scotland on the state of alcohol and drug services in Scotland highlights:
- The Scottish Government’s increased focus on drug harm has shifted attention from, and effort on, tackling alcohol harm
- Funding for treatment services is directed largely to people at crisis point rather than on preventing people getting to crisis point
- Information is required on demand, unmet need, cost-effectiveness and spending on early intervention in order to inform better service planning
- Urgent action is required to address alcohol and drug workforce problems including staff burnout
Read the report: Prevention focus needed to tackle alcohol and drug harm | Audit Scotland
Dr Peter Rice, Chair of SHAAP said:
“This report sets out the disparity in approach by the Scottish Government towards drug and alcohol services, and the urgent need to increase focus on tackling harms caused by alcohol.
“The Scottish Government has now added alcohol to the National Mission but this needs to be followed up by action. Some positive steps have been taken, like appointing a Minister for both Drugs and Alcohol to provide clearer leadership and uprating the minimum unit price of alcohol to 65p, but there is still less attention on alcohol harm, even though 1,277 people died as a direct result of alcohol in 2023.
“The report highlights that while there has been a lack of progress in meeting Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards for drugs, there are no equivalent standards even in place to drive improvements in alcohol services.
“A shift to prevent people reaching crisis point with alcohol – given around a quarter of us consume over the low risk drinking guidelines – is needed. This is not just about making treatment services more effective but also about commitment to policies such as restricting alcohol marketing which has been put on the back burner by the Scottish Government in the face of intense opposition by the ever-vociferous alcohol industry.
“The Scottish Government needs to heed the findings of this report and now put in place a clear plan to tackle Scotland’s significant alcohol problem, alongside its work on drugs. We cannot afford one public health emergency to be overlooked in favour of another and we need clearer national leadership and improved accountability at a local level if as a country we are serious about protecting people from the health and social harms caused by alcohol.”