Detoxification and other support available in residential rehabilitation settings

1. Introduction

The level of harms from alcohol and drugs in Scotland is high in comparison to the rest of the UK and Europe, and causes avoidable damage to people's lives, families, and communities. Tackling the high level of drug related deaths in Scotland is a priority for the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government’s Residential Rehabilitation Programme (2021-2025) was launched to improve access to residential rehabilitation for individuals affected by alcohol or drugs.

Health and Social Care analysts within the Scottish Government developed a survey of residential rehabilitation providers to fulfil two aims. Firstly, to obtain information on residential rehabilitation bed capacity in Scotland by including questions on current capacity levels, referrals, statutory funding and geographic distribution. The findings from these questions were published in a separate report on residential rehabilitation bed capacity in Scotland published in December 2025 and build on the data presented in 2021 and on the updated bed capacity count published in November 2024. Secondly, to support the work of the Future of Residential Rehabilitation Working Group, the survey included questions about the provision of detoxification in residential rehabilitation settings in Scotland, as well as the range of pre-, through and after-care support they offer to individuals.

This report presents the findings relating to the second aim. In addition to seeking to establish the current provision of detoxification across residential rehabilitation facilities in Scotland, this report explores how these services operate, how they are governed and what other pre-, through- and after-care support is available to individuals alongside their residential rehabilitation treatment. The findings from this survey informed the working group’s recommendations around improving access to detoxification services.