WIREDGOV

Scotland must build on a year of significant progress on the road to recovery from drug misuse, Minister for Community Safety Fergus Ewing said today.

Mr Ewing was speaking on the eve of the first anniversary of the launch of the national drugs strategy as he met service users and project workers at Edinburgh's Simpson House, which offers specialist counselling for people affected by their own or another's drug use.

The Minister also published a progress report setting out some of the key steps taken by the Scottish Government and other agencies to help deliver the strategy's objectives - through education and prevention to enforcement and improved access to treatment and other services.

Mr Ewing said: "One year ago the Scottish Government launched Scotland's first drugs strategy since devolution, The Road to Recovery.

"It sets out the action needed to prevent young people taking drugs in the first place, to safeguard children affected by parental substance misuse, to tackle the criminal gangs seeking to peddle drugs and despair in our communities, and to provide improved access to treatment.

"But the strategy is just words on a page. The last year has been about putting in place the foundations for many of these things to happen. And about changing how services are planned, commissioned and delivered at the local level - so more people have a better chance of recovering.

"The challenge now is to deliver that and ensure many more people across Scotland are supported to find recovery and drug-free lives. It won't happen overnight and requires cultural as well as system change. But there's no reason why it cannot be done, nor why Scotland should not reduce the impact of this problem.

"The strategy is clear that through treatment and other services there must be a greater focus on recovery. I've met many people who have found their road to recovery over the last year - often in spite of those in the community who may have written them off.

"We are transforming the delivery of drug services with new local partnerships to clarify roles and responsibilities and better identify local needs to ensure the record investment we're providing is focused on achieving agreed outcomes.

"At the same time we will establish a Scottish Drugs Recovery Consortium - a charitable trust bringing together key partners from the voluntary, public and academic field to promote and assist the greater focus on recovery - among services providers, workforce and the public.

"We will replace the existing ministerial advisory committee with a Delivery Commission, chaired by an independent figure with key experts from the field, to oversee the overall implementation of the strategy, identify emerging challenges and help drive forward necessary reforms.

"And we will introduce a specific HEAT target, which will require NHS boards to reduce waiting times for treatment so that people can be helped at the moment of greatest motivation."

Cllr Ronnie McColl, COSLA spokesperson on Health & Wellbeing added: "Local authorities are keen to play their part in delivering on the Road to Recovery agenda. Working with our local partners we look forward to achieving positive results for individuals, families and communities."

Dr Maggie Watts, Chairperson of the Scottish Association of Alcohol and Drug Action Teams, said: "Since The Road to Recovery was published, we have been working hard to focus the services for which Action Teams are responsible more clearly on moving towards recovery.

"The SAADAT conference in November was focused on recovery and a number of individual teams have also held training and dissemination events to facilitate progress locally.

"Action Teams themselves are re-organising into local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships, linking in to Community Planning structures in a more co-ordinated way to enable us to address better the wider issues around drug misuse."

Eleanor Robertson, Chair of the Scottish Network for Families Affected by Drugs (SNFAD) added: "While many families can see the strategy is changing how services are delivered, and the positive effect it is having on those they care for, it's the recognition that families also need support to cope with the many issues they face which is making the real difference to them.

"This recognition means that they can ask for help for themselves in their own right and get the support they need to move forward in a more positive way."

Related Information
The Road to Recovery: One year On

Drugs strategy