Scottish Drugs Forum
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4 December 2007
CREATING high quality "wraparound" services to support drug treatment programmes in Scotland will be a "tall and expensive order", according to Scottish Drugs Forum chair Anne Thomson.
The Scottish Government’s increased focus is now on delivering the support services essential for substitute prescribing to play its role to the fullest, says Ms Thomson in Scottish Drugs Forum’s latest annual report, published Tuesday 4 December 2007
"This more holistic view of care for people with drug problems embraces a wide spectrum of disciplines ranging from psycho-social, family, housing to education/training support.
"It is a tall and expensive order and there will be many challenges ahead to ensure the funding, to create the cross-boundary structures and to develop the working practices required to make this vital area of work a successful reality."
Ms Thomson also said there was a "more positive feel" to the general direction of drug policy in Scotland, reflecting recent changes in the Scottish political landscape as a result of the Holyrood elections earlier this year.
"It is certainly heartening that the new Scottish Government has articulated the links between "drink, drugs and deprivation" and that its stated aim of tackling health inequalities chimes very closely with SDF’s agenda over the last few years.
"In recognising the impact of poverty and deprivation on the scale of Scotland’s drug problem, the new Administration has also pledged the importance of early, sustained intervention and support for vulnerable families.
"Tackling the range of social ills in Scotland – not just problem drug use – in this way has to be greatly welcomed, for it is crystal clear that vast swathes of people in crisis are burdened with parallel social and economic difficulties which compound the chaos and complexity of their lives."
Awareness of the role of service users in the development of effective treatment and care grows apace, she said.
However, efforts must be made to guard against User Involvement becoming an empty "tick-box" exercise, rather than genuine consultation leading to service improvement.
Similarly, providing flexible person-centred treatment is proving to be a challenge in some areas which have opted for centralised structures, despite the advent of the Scottish Government’s Quality Standards.
The preparation for new drug strategies in Scotland and the UK are " opportunities to set out clearly a vision of how to make a sustained impact on the health and wellbeing of the 50,000 problem drug users in Scotland and stem the flow of new recruits to this population, she said.
"New and bold thinking is required more than ever before, with statistics published this year showing the highest ever recorded drug-related deaths in Scotland.
"We will be looking increasingly towards our European counterparts to see what lessons can be learned from countries such as Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and Holland which have considerably smaller drug problems.
"It would be a mistake, however, to limit our observations to their treatment and models, helpful though these may be. These countries have disadvantaged communities too, so we also need to understand how these states view, discharge - and even embrace - their responsibilities for assisting and supporting the most vulnerable among the potential casualties of our fast-moving market-driven society.
Ms Thomson also paid tribute to the late Ken Murray, Scottish Drugs Forum’s inaugural Chair in 1986, who died in October 2007.
"His early contribution to SDF helped lay the foundations for the progress SDF has assisted in achieving and we will remember his support and enthusiasm with gratitude."
Click here to download Scottish Drugs Forum’s Annual Report 2006-2007