Drug addicts should be able to get treatment and medication on the same day they ask for help, the Scottish Government’s drug deaths taskforce has said.
The taskforce has published 10 standards for the treatment of drug users, with the Government pledging to implement them by April next year.
It calls for problematic drug users to have access to both medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and mental health care on the day they seek support.
The proposed measures have been hailed as potentially the “most significant development” in tackling the drug deaths crisis, which we have campaigned extensively on. Scotland had 1264 drug deaths in 2019 – a higher rate than across all EU countries, and more than three times the UK as a whole.
The new standards include plans for people thought to be at a high risk of drug-related harm to be “proactively identified and offered support” and able to make an informed choice about using medication for MAT.
Drug users should also be able to receive support and remain in treatment “for as long as requested”, according to the taskforce, as well as having access to advocacy and help for their housing, welfare and income needs.
Minister for drug policy Angela Constance said: “We now have a set of standards which are safe, accessible and person-centred. Making help available and giving people an informed choice is an essential part of respecting a person’s rights and dignity.
“It is also an approach that is more likely to be effective and provide people with the support and treatment they need.
Chief executive of the Scottish Drugs Forum David Liddell added: “Scotland’s MAT Standards are the most significant landmark in improving Scotland’s response to problem drug use in over a decade.
“Implementing the standards will be the most significant development in addressing the ongoing public health emergency of drug-related deaths.
“These standards are the basis for making services truly person-centred.
"Full implementation of the standards will save lives, reduce harm and transform people’s quality of life.”
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