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November 2008

News Stories

Research highlights ways to reduce drug deaths in Scotland

3 November 2008

POLICE and ambulance services in Scotland should regularly review the policy of sending officers to non-fatal overdose scenes, according to newly-published research into ways of reducing drug-related deaths.

The research,

Reducing Drug Users’ Risk of Overdose, says that such reviews should acknowledge the "negative effect" that fear of prosecution has on people’s decision on whether to call an ambulance.

A dialogue should be established with service providers and service users to "consider the merits" of introducing safer injecting rooms in Scotland and the naloxone distribution programmes - the supply of opiate reversal kits to users and families - should be extended if the Lanarkshire and Glasgow initiatives prove to be successful, the report has also recommended.

Meanwhile, structured suicide-risk assessments should be carried out as part of routine assessments of drug users in treatment - and methadone treatment programmes should also seek to reduce the number of service users they expel due to on-going illicit drug use.

Services should explore instead the alternative ways to reduce drug use among service users, and follow-up and assess discharged service users, providing them with opportunities to re-enter treatment or enrol in other kinds of programmes.

The report - carried out by Figure 8 Consultancy Services and Scottish Drug Forum’s Research Officer April Shaw - makes more than 20 recommendations covering the five key areas of:

Improving the quality of existing responses
Improving the assessment of the needs
Improving and extending current care provision
Provide information and training for emergency service staff, clinical staff and service professionals
Providing information for drug users and significant others.

The research was commissioned in 2007 as part of a package of measures drawn up in 2005 following the

National Investigation into Drug-related Deaths in Scotland occurring in 2003.

In 2005, Scottish Drugs Forum produced research which identified fear of police being called to an overdose scene as the foremost barrier to users calling for ambulance help more quickly in a study, What are the views of drug users when there is an ‘overdose situation’ that requires contacting emergency services? (221.4KB, in PDF format - You will need Acrobat Reader)

Targets to be set for drug treatment waiting times

14 November 2008

SCOTTISH Drugs Forum has welcomed the announcement that waiting time targets are to be introduced for drug treatment in Scotland for the first time, in 2010.

Waiting time targets on access to child and adolescent mental health services are also to be introduced for the first time in Scotland under the latest NHS Scotland performance management (HEAT) targets published today.

David Liddell, Director of Scottish Drugs Forum, said: "This is excellent news.

“Scottish Drugs Forum has, for many years, raised concerns about excessive waiting times in many parts of Scotland, which means that people cannot get the help they need when they need it.

“Setting a target will ensure that we move to greater consistency of service access across Scotland.

“However, treatment agencies also need to be assisted in improving the quality of their services so that people are given the best help to enable to recover from drug dependency.”

pledge

The pledge for faster access to treatment for people with drug problems and to child and adolescent mental health services includes a commitment to develop the targets over the next year with health boards and other delivery partners.

Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing said: "The Government is determined to bring down the longest waits drugs users have to access treatment. We know that treatment works - between a quarter and a third of drug users entering treatment reach long-term sustained abstinence.

"In my many meetings across the country since I published the national drugs strategy and it was endorsed by Parliament, I've heard from service providers and users about the excellent work being done across the country.

"For many drug users access to treatment is an essential part of their road to recovery. Where drug users are motivated and wish to seek recovery, we must be on hand to help them do that as quickly as possible."

HEAT targets are a core set of Ministerial objectives, targets and measures for the NHS.

The targets are set each year. Progress is measured throughout the year and boards are held to account during their annual review with the Cabinet Secretary.

They are designed to stretch NHS Boards in improving performance, according to the Scottish Government.

SDF training project wins social care award honours

27 November 2008

SCOTTISH Drugs Forum’s (SDF) ground-breaking project supporting former problem drug users into careers in social care has scooped two major awards in a new and prestigious Scottish newspaper social care awards scheme.

SDF’s Addiction Workers Training Project (AWTP) won Best Practice Initiative of the Year and was Commended in the Education Initiative of the Year category of the inaugural Herald Society Awards 2008 presented on 26 November.

AWTP – the only project to be shortlisted in two separate categories, winning honours in both – beat off strong competition to win the accolades organised by The Herald newspaper in association with the Big Lottery Fund. It is the first time that SDF has submitted a project to any competition.

The Awards - for the most modern, most imaginative and most inspiring work carried out in the public and voluntary sectors in Scotland - attracted well over 200 entries from more than 100 projects across a variety of categories.

The AWTP’s award-winning entry for the Best Practice Initiative was in one of the strongest categories in this year’s Awards both in terms of number of entries and quality of submissions, according to event host, TV political journalist Michael Crow. This Award recognises innovation and real achievement in areas such as increasing efficiency, ensuring best value and inter-agency collaboration.

AWTP also came runner-up in the Education Initiative of the Year, taking the Commended prize in the category recognising education projects which have brought “clear and tangible benefits” to learners. The top prize in this category went to a college project which encourages older teenagers to continue in education through giving them experience in a range of building trades.

AWTP involves trainee addiction workers, including former homeless people and ex-offenders who have experienced multiple barriers to employment, taking part in a mixture of college-based education at Glasgow College of Nautical Studies and work placement training.

This leads to accredited Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ) in Health and Social Care, and, ultimately, employment particularly in the addictions field.

Launched in 2004 - and currently in its fourth cohort of trainees - AWTP is the first project in Scotland to develop a multi-agency approach to employability for former substance users while offering students a wage while training. To date, a total of 76 percent have moved from dependency on welfare benefit and into a waged job with care agencies in and around Glasgow.

opportunities

David Liddell, Director of SDF, said: “I am absolutely delighted that AWTP has been recognised in this way. It is a great project which came about as a result of speaking to former drug users who wanted to ‘put something back’.

“AWTP shows exactly how well people can move on from damaging drug use and take their place in society if they are given the right opportunities. This project has involved working in partnership with a range of agencies and funders who were and are prepared to think creatively.

"Credit must go to Big Lottery Fund, Greater Glasgow Drug Action Team, The Robertson Trust and Scottish Enterprise Glasgow for helping SDF launch, and other funders who maintain, this extremely worthwhile initiative.

“Thanks must also go to SDF staff past and present – Phil Hogben, Biba Brand, Catriona Gibson and Katharine Ronald – for their invaluable input to the development and continuing success of the project.”

honour

Catriona Gibson, AWTP Co-ordinator, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for everyone who has been involved with AWTP and it is real honour to receive the Award on behalf of all trainees, placement projects and other partner agencies.”

Pat, an AWTP graduate from the 2007 intake, is a former drug user who nearly died from an overdose three-and-a-half years ago. He is now working as an assertive outreach worker with chaotic drug users and homeless in Glasgow city centre, where he deals with some of the most challenging service users around.

He said: “AWTP is am amazing project, which changed my life. The level of support given is great and it gives a fantastic grounding in all aspects of learning for work in this area.”

aims

The underlying aims of the AWTP programme are to:

- assist former service users to overcome poverty and deprivation
- ease their vulnerability to, and assist move-on from, addiction and homelessness/relapse
- enhance their lives through education, training, employment and related social inter-actions
- provide social care organisations access to a well-trained, representative work-force, thus improving quality and impact of services.

AWTP is also an opportunity for addictions, homelessness and mental health organisations in Glasgow to work together on issues of employability, with 16 partner agencies contributing to the AWTP through the project Steering Group.

AWTP operates on an annual budget of around £250,000 per 15 trainees. Inaugural supporters in 2004 were Big Lottery Fund, Greater Glasgow Drug Action Team, The Robertson Trust and Scottish Enterprise Glasgow.

Since then funders have included Community Regeneration Fund, Fairer Scotland Fund and Greater Glasgow & Clyde Alcohol Action Team. Placement providers have included Turning Point Scotland, The Mungo Foundation, Phoenix Futures, Aberlour Child Care Trust and Scottish Association for Mental Health.