National Mission Annual Report 2024/25 - Appendix
Appendix to the National Mission Annual Report 2024/25
Updated Response to the Drug Deaths Taskforce Recommendations
Taskforce Action
1. The Drug Policy Division of the Scottish Government should work with ongoing Taskforce projects and feed any learning into Scotland’s National Mission.
Current Position
The Corra Foundation commissioned an external evaluation of the Taskforce projects. While the Taskforce projects were being developed, the National Mission funds were established, meaning that the tests of change were embedded into future Corra projects. Corra reports on their projects annually. The 2023-24 report highlighted that National Drugs Mission Funds support over 33,000 people affected by drugs through 218 projects across the country.
Taskforce Action
2. The UK Government should amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2000 to allow for the legal provision of a wider range of drug paraphernalia through harm-reduction and treatment services. This is essential to enabling safer drug consumption.
Current Position
We note that the Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention confirmed at the Scottish Affairs Committee on 4 June 2025 that the UK Government has no intention of amending the Misuse of Drugs Act.
The Scottish Government will continue to call on the UK Government to review the Act and commit to implementing a public health approach to drugs.
Taskforce Action
3. While the Scottish Government is unable to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2000, it should explore all options to support their amendment as suggested by the Taskforce.
Current Position
We continue to engage with the UK Government on a range of topics and legal matters. We welcome the productive engagement we have had regarding drug checking licensing.
Taskforce Action
4. The UK Government should review the regulations on dispensing and prescription forms for controlled drugs to take account of clinical and technological advances since implementation in 2001.
Current Position
We support this review and we continue to press the UK Government on any changes to the existing regulations that will facilitate greater support for harm reduction while supporting patient safety.
Taskforce Action
5. The Scottish Government should work with the UK Government to deliver progress on the regulation of pill presses, including developing a suitable licensing system to reduce related harm.
Current Position
The UK Government passed the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill in March 2025 which included offences to criminalise the making, adapting, modifying, supplying and offering to supply articles of serious crime, including pill presses. The Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs confirmed in March that she agrees these should be extended to Scotland, and a Legislative Consent Memorandum for this Bill was lodged on 12th March 2025.
Taskforce Action
6. The UK Government should urgently remove the exemption set out in S3.1 of the Equality Act 2010, (Disability) Regulations 2010, and make drug dependency part of the protected characteristic of disability.
Current Position
Our position from January 2023 is the same, The Equality Act 2010 is mainly reserved and Scottish Ministers do not have the power to make amendments in relation to matters concerning the protected characteristic of disability. While discussions with UK Government remain open, they have indicated that they are not prepared to review the exemption.
Taskforce Action
7. The Scottish Government should do everything within its powers to hasten the removal of the exemption set out in S3.1 of the Equality Act 2010, (Disability) Regulations 2010 and make drug dependency part of the protected characteristics of disability.
Current Position
The Scottish Government is limited in the actions it can take in this domain, due to the reserved nature of the Disability Regulations, but we will continue to make the case to remove the current exclusion from the definition for drug and alcohol dependency and we will take action to embed structural changes and tackle social stigma now.
Taskforce Action
8. The Scottish Government should ensure, as part of the Human Rights Bill and/or National Collaborative work to develop a Charter of Rights, that the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is accessible and enforceable for people who use drugs, removing any discriminatory separation between drug dependency and other health conditions, as currently exists in the Equality Act 2010.
Current Position
Charter of Rights for People affected by substance use was launched in December 2024. The Charter is a guide to taking a Human Rights-Based Approach and aims to support people to understand their rights and the support they can expect from substance use related services, as well as supporting duty bearers to continuously improve the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of their services.
The Charter describes key rights which are drawn from both national and international law, which were identified through consultation as being the most relevant for people affected by substance use and describes the ways in which these rights should be met.
The Charter, recognised as the first of its kind in the world by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, will help ensure people know their rights and the support they can expect to receive, and that people who use drugs and alcohol, and their families, are treated with dignity. It remains our intention to bring forward the Human Rights Bill in the next Parliamentary session.
To support further development of the Bill, we have published a discussion paper on our proposals, which aims to consolidate the extensive work undertaken to date and support further engagement with stakeholders. The proposals build on those set out in our 2023 public consultation and the extensive engagement we have undertaken with rights-holders, civil society organisations and public bodies.
Taskforce Action
9. The UK Government should undertake a root and branch review of the Misuse of Drugs Act, reforming the law to support harm-reduction measures and implement a public health approach.
Current Position
We note that the Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention confirmed at the Scottish Affairs Committee on 4 June 2025 that the UK Government has no intention of amending the Misuse of Drugs Act. The Scottish Government will continue to call on the UK Government to review the Act and commit to implementing a public health approach to drugs.
Taskforce Action
10. If the UK Government are not willing to reform the Misuse of Drugs Act, it should commit to exploring all available options openly with the Scottish Government to enable Scotland to take a public health approach.
Current Position
The Scottish Government has committed to a public health approach to the drug deaths emergency for a number of years. We continue to build on this approach and strengthen our commitment, continually improving the policies and practices for people who use drugs, their families and communities.
We will continue to work to find solutions to the legal barriers and also focus on our public health approach and what can be done now within devolved competence to reduce harm and stop people dying.
Taskforce Action
11. All responses to problem substance use must be coproduced or co-developed with people with lived and living experience.
Current Position
Lived and living experience continues to be at the heart of what we do. To support this £0.5 million in funding for Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) has continued to support ADPs in improving the way people affected by substance use can take part in decision-making in their local areas. In addition, the Scottish Drugs Forum, with support from the Scottish Government, is delivering a Living Experience Engagement Project, the purpose of which is to maintain the progress of the established living experience groups and support their expansion into new areas.
Taskforce Action
12. ADPs should ensure that specific psychological and wellbeing support is provided for people with lived and living experience.
Current Position
We are committed to ensuring that people with lived and living experience s have access to dedicated psychological and wellbeing support. The ADP in Scotland: Annual Survey 2023/24 reported a range of wellbeing initiatives that are being delivered for employees, including peer support workers with lived and living experience. Efforts include tailored support informed by staff feedback; training in trauma awareness and crisis management; access to occupational health services and psychological and wellbeing resources.
Taskforce Action
13. The Scottish Government should work to ensure that barriers to accessing opportunities such as volunteering, training, education or employment are removed for people with lived and living experience wherever possible.
Current Position
The Scottish Government has launched two Employability Support Toolkits to support both employers and employees at every step of the employment journey.
These toolkits will help us to build a skilled and resilient workforce that harnesses the transformative power of lived and living experience.
This will also support increased representation of people with lived experience in the workforce to not just enter but develop and sustain careers at all levels within the system.
The Scottish Government has also launched ‘Guiding Principles’ for supporting employees with lived and living experience of problematic substance use. The Guiding Principles will demonstrate to employers across Scotland how best to realise the potential of people with lived experience in the workplace.
Our focus now will be on ensuring the implementation of these documents across the workforce.
Taskforce Action
14. The Scottish Government should continue to support the whole-family approach and implement the actions set out in the framework at pace.
Current Position
We are continuing our work to support the whole family approach to make sure that children and families affected by alcohol or drug use are supported in their own right, as well as being involved in their loved one’s treatment and recovery. We are also continuing to work with local areas to improve their family support and implement family inclusive practice across alcohol and drug services.
Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD) were commissioned via Scottish Government to develop, test and deliver Family Inclusive Practice (FIP). The FIP offer has been made to every area in Scotland with FIP training delivered in over 12 localities plus other individual projects. Locality partners include Angus, Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee, East Dunbartonshire, Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Perth and Kinross, North Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire.
The working group with experts in the field also continues to support local areas to implement the framework. This, alongside our work to develop a comprehensive approach to early intervention for young people at risk of developing problem substance use, supporting the delivery of The Promise by making significant change in the way services work with families.
Taskforce Action
15. The Scottish Government and chief officers should ensure that family inclusive practice is embedded across the public sector, with mandatory training provided for the workforce.
Current Position
We have launched the Drugs and Alcohol Workforce Knowledge and Skills Framework. This sets out the practice-specific knowledge and skills required by those whose primary role is to support people affected by substance use. Delivering Family-Inclusive Care is one of the 5 main themes identified within the Framework.
We expect the workforce to understand ‘family-inclusive practice’ and to be able to confidently embed this within service delivery. We expect the workforce to also be able to ensure that families are appropriately involved in care and support planning and can access support themselves.
The Drug and Alcohol Learning Directory complements this Framework by providing access to a range of resources that support development of the knowledge identified. A range of learning opportunities to support the development of family inclusive practice are contained within this.
Taskforce Action
16. ADPs should ensure that specific, ring-fenced support, including psychological and wellbeing support, is available for family members. This should not be dependent on the person who uses drugs accessing support.
Current Position
Children, young people and families affected by substance use must be supported in their own right, as well as being involved in their loved one’s treatment and recovery. Our framework sets out principles of how we will improve holistic support for families affected by drugs and alcohol by taking a whole family approach and using family inclusive practice. We are working with local areas to improve their family support and implement family inclusive practice across alcohol and drug services.
Taskforce Action
17. The Scottish Government should develop and rapidly implement a national stigma action plan, co-produced with people with lived, living and family experience and built on the Taskforce stigma strategy.
Current Position
The Scottish Government published a National Stigma Action Plan as part of our Cross Government Approach published in January 2023. As part of this we are working across government, including with mental health, homelessness, and justice policy, recognising that people who use substances often face overlapping forms of discrimination.
We have taken forward several initiatives to tackle stigma around drug use in the workforce. This includes the publication of Guiding Principles to support employees with lived or living experience of substance use, promoting inclusive, fair work practices. Alongside this, the “Pathways to Employment” toolkits offers practical guidance for individuals entering the substance use sector and for employers supporting them. The Drugs and Alcohol Workforce Knowledge and Skills Framework identifies tackling stigma as one of its five core themes, alongside family-inclusive care, harm reduction, human rights-based approaches, and trauma-informed care.
The Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use was published in December 2024 and its stated purpose is to shift the power and change the culture from criminalisation and stigma towards public health and human rights. The Scottish Government has two roles to play in the implementation of the Charter – as a duty bearer with responsibilities towards rights holders – and as a leader to use influence and levers to encourage other duty bearers to deliver rights.
Taskforce Action
18. The National Collaborative should inform and support the development and implementation of the action plan and hold the Scottish Government and partners to account for delivery.
Current Position
In December 2024, we published the Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use. It was co-produced through the National Collaborative in partnership with people with lived and living experience, placing their voices and insights at the heart of its development.
The Charter is a practical tool for change and empowers individuals to understand and claim their rights and guides service providers in delivering support that is free from stigma whilst respecting dignity, autonomy and equality. While the forthcoming Human Rights Bill has been postponed, the Charter already carries significant weight for service delivery. Duty bearers have initiated implementation, embedding its principles into everyday practice and helping to drive meaningful change on the ground.
Our multi-pronged, values-driven approach to tackling stigma bolsters the Charter by creating the systems, culture, and workforce necessary to uphold those rights. While the Charter sets out a rights-based foundation rooted in dignity, inclusion, and lived experience, our wider whole system efforts, from policy reform and workforce development, to healthcare transformation and cultural initiatives, work to embed these principles into everyday practice. Together, they form a cohesive framework that not only challenges stigma but actively reshapes how individuals affected by drugs and alcohol are treated across services.
Taskforce Action
19. All services that support people who use drugs should have a defined, collaborative improvement plan for tackling stigma, based on national and local strategies. It should include a full critical review of their service to identify and proactively counter any systemic stigmatising practices.
Current Position
Through a raft of tools, recently delivered, including the Mental Health Protocol, the Workforce Guidelines and Competency Framework and the Charter of Human Rights for people who use substances, we are working with stakeholders from a wide range of service delivery to acknowledge and challenge stigma in all settings.
Taskforce Action
20. Ofcom, media outlets and commissioning editors should use the SFAD and SRC guidelines for journalists and work with organisations representing people who use drugs and their families to develop guidance on reducing stigma and discrimination in reporting, documentaries and fiction. Scottish Government should support these organisations to deliver this action.
Current Position
We continue to support SFAD and SRC in their work to tackle stigma (through, for example, the anti-stigmatising language guidebook) and strengthen engagement with people with lived and living experience.
Taskforce Action
21. The Scottish Government and chief officers should mandate that our Stigma Charter is adopted by all public bodies and services and all other organisations should be encouraged to adopt it. The uptake of this adoption should be recorded and reported publicly, with appropriate and defined sanctions for public bodies and services that do not adopt it.
Current Position
Reducing Stigma requires culture change, which the Scottish Government is leading through a range of initiatives now underway, implemented by a number of stakeholders. Acknowledgement of the need to implement the Charter of Human Rights is now a key part of grant letters and a “Duty Bearers” group spans a wide range of service providers who are tasked with determining the ways their services will change to reflect the human rights based approach.
Taskforce Action
22. People should not be turned away from services because they have additional support needs that are out with the service’s remit. They should be linked with appropriate services and be supported to address their own needs.
Current Position
We fully agree that people should never be turned away from services due to having additional support needs beyond a single service’s remit. The Scottish Government’s approach is rooted in a whole-systems model, which recognises that individuals often experience overlapping challenges, including mental health issues, housing instability, and justice involvement. The cross-government plan outlined our holistic approach to these issues and we are continuing to work closely with cross-government teams to deliver actions outlined in the plan. Moreover, the Charter of Rights was published in December 2024 and aims to support people to understand their rights and the level of support they should expect from services in terms of accessibility, acceptability and quality.
Taskforce Action
23. ADPs should ensure that people with multiple and complex needs are not simply passed on to other services. A single lead professional should, with the patient’s consent and involvement, take a coordinating role in developing and overseeing a holistic care package.
Current Position
We are working across the health and care sector to ensure that no door is the wrong door to help and support. We recognise we need to do more to provide support for people who have co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions.
We commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland to lead on the creation and implementation of a gold-standard protocol on co-occurring mental health and substance across the country over three years. The National Mental Health and Substance Use Protocol was published in September 2024, and local versions of this protocol will be owned by a senior responsible officer.
HIS are now delivering the final phase of this work, which will focus on ensuring that local protocols are implemented, change is sustained and that service users can benefit from joined-up services.
Taskforce Action
24. Service providers in all sectors and ADPs should ensure that support, including for mental health, is not conditional on people receiving treatment for their dependency, recovery or abstinence.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continue to support the implementation of the MAT Standards. Public Health Scotland published the 2024/2025 National Benchmarking Report on the implementation of the MAT Standards in June 2025.
In 2024/25 MAT standard 9 (All people with co-occurring drug use and mental health difficulties can receive mental health care at the point of MAT delivery) has been fully implemented in 21/29 (72%) of ADP areas and partially implemented in 8/29 (28%) of ADP areas.
Building on the work of the Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) Pathfinder project in 2023-24, we commissioned HIS to lead on the creation of a national protocol that sets out a gold-standard of joint working between mental health and substance use services for co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions.
The National Mental Health and Substance Use Protocol was published in September 2024, and Healthcare Improvement Scotland are now working to support areas across the country to develop and implement their own local protocols by March 2026.
All ADP areas continue to be supported the PHS based MAT Standards Implementation Support Team (MIST) to make sure they have the numerical, process and experiential mechanisms in place for full and sustained MAT implementation by the deadline of April 2026.
Taskforce Action
25. ADPs and services should work effectively across boundaries to ensure that individuals have choice over what services they access and where.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continues to work closely with ADPs and support the need for choice to be available to individuals in regard to their treatment. In the 2024/2025 National Benchmarking Report it was identified that in 2024/25 MAT standard 2 (All people are supported to make an informed choice on what medication to use for MAT and the appropriate dose) is fully implemented or sustained in 27/29 (93%) ADP areas and partially implemented in 2/29 (7%) ADP areas.
All ADP areas continue to be supported the PHS based MAT Standards Implementation Support Team (MIST) to make sure they have the numerical, process and experiential mechanisms in place for full and sustained MAT implementation by the deadline of April 2026.
Taskforce Action
26. The Scottish Government should continue to support Housing First and expand coverage to all local areas in Scotland. Learning from the model can be used to support the design of other support services.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continues to upscale Housing First across Scotland, which provides settled, mainstream accommodation for those with problem substance use and other complex needs. The latest Housing First monitoring report noted that there were 27 local authorities with Housing First programmes as of September 2024, and it is estimated that over 2,000 Housing First tenancies have started across Scotland.
Taskforce Action
27. The Scottish Government should gather the evidence from Taskforce projects that continue beyond July 2022 and share these with local areas to inform local strategic plans. Effective changes to support joint working and improve and save lives should be implemented.
Current Position
Corra commissioned an external evaluation of the Taskforce projects. While the Taskforce projects were being developed, the National Mission funds were established, meaning that the tests of change were embedded into future Corra projects. Corra reports on their projects annually. The 2023-24 report highlighted that National Drugs Mission Funds support over 33,000 people affected by drugs through 218 projects across the country.
Taskforce Action
28. The Scottish Government and ADPs should support the improvement of partnership-working across the sector, including between statutory and third sector services, and with recovery communities. This should be backed by fair, transparent and sustainable funding to ensure services are delivered in the most effective way by the right partners.
Current Position
The Partnership Delivery Framework (2019) (PDF) sets out the arrangements for key local delivery partners to work collaboratively within Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) to develop local strategic planning, drawing on the wealth of experience and resource of those around the ADP table. Such strategic plans, having been appropriately agreed by all contributing partner organisations, should set the basis for commissioning services at a local level.
The Scottish Government are currently working with COSLA to consult with a range of delivery partners and pursue a comprehensive revision of the PDF to ensure that it provides a robust underpinning of important partnership working, greater clarity in accountability, and improvement in joined-up services.
For the duration of the National Mission the Corra Foundation has been responsible for distributing funding to grassroots and third sector organisations through a suite of dedicated funds. This accounts for 8 percent (£13m) of the total budget. Details of the projects and funding awarded can be found on Corra's website.
Taskforce Action
29. Local services must consider their provision and pathways through an equalities lens, ensuring that women can access the support they need when they need it.
Current Position
We are working to ensure that a gendered-approach is taken in new or developing initiatives, to ensure that women affected by substance use can access the support they need. More than £5.5 million has been committed to support the establishment of two mother and child houses by Aberlour, the first of which opened in Dundee in January 2023, and the second in Falkirk in September 2024.
We have also committed more than £8.5 million to support the establishment of Harper House, a National Specialist Family Service run by Phoenix Futures which opened in November 2022 is the first of its kind in Scotland.
In addition to the work to improve access to residential rehabilitation, we have brought together a group to explore what pathways are in place for substance-using women during pregnancy and the early years, and develop a good practice guide. This guide will aim to support local areas in meeting the needs of these women and their infants during the perinatal period.
Taskforce Action
30. ADPs and services must ensure specific pathways are developed to ensure young people can access the support they need when they need it.
Current Position
Later this year we will launch a set of Standards for ADPs, commissioners and services to ensure there is sufficient support in place for young people aged 25 and under who use substances.
These Standards have been developed through a co-design process with young people and will outline what children and young people should expect from services when seeking help for a drug or alcohol problem.
In collaboration with the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund we have provided funding to allow the successful Routes programme to expand into six new areas of Scotland. Routes supports young people affected by substance use in their family to meet their own goals and break inter-generational cycles of addiction. With investment from Scottish Government of £4 million, Routes has been expanded in to Falkirk, Aberdeenshire, Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire, East Lothian and Orkney.
Taskforce Action
31. The Scottish Government must prioritise tackling the root causes of drug dependency, embedding this focus into work across Government to address poverty and structural inequality.
Current Position
Our action to tackle root causes has been driven by shifting to a public health response, supporting communities through strengthened third sector organisations that have benefitted from the £13m a year National Drugs Mission Funds, supporting families and developing an approach on prevention. The Cross Government action plan sets out what we are doing across the whole of the Scottish Government in areas such as housing, employment and education to tackle this together.
On prevention we have invested £1.5 million in a Planet Youth in Scotland pilot, and we will continue to invest during 2025-26. This universal approach to prevention empowers communities to support their young people to reduce the risk of substance use and wider harms.
Public Health Scotland (PHS) is developing a consensus approach to inform a programme of prevention activity. This will help ensure the whole system is working to protect young people from developing substance use problems, as well as other wider harms.
Taskforce Action
32. Education Scotland should develop a new education programme for drugs based on findings in “What works in Drug Education and Prevention?”
Current Position
The Scottish Government is taking forward substance use education work in our schools through Curriculum for Excellence, where children and young people learn about a variety of substances including alcohol, medicines, drugs, tobacco and solvents. Learning sets out the impact these substances can have on their life and health and supports informed choices.
Each establishment, working with partners, should take a holistic approach to promoting health and wellbeing, one that takes account of the stage of growth, development and maturity of each pupil, and the social and community context
Education Scotland has been leading on development and delivery of the new Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC), which represents a planned and systemic approach to strengthening the curriculum to ensure it remains forward looking, and supports more consistent teaching and learning experiences and improved attainment and achievement of our children and young people.
The CIC is considering all curricular areas and key aspects – including the subject area of Health & Wellbeing, where work is already underway, drawing on robust interrogation of evidence and a co-design process with practitioners and wider stakeholders to ensure that HWB remains a key part of Scottish education for children and young people, responsive to both local and global priorities
Taskforce Action
33. Within the next year, the Scottish Government should undertake and publish a mapping exercise of touchpoints outwith the drug and alcohol sector, with the ultimate aim of making every contact count. The Government should then ensure that at these touch points, people are aware of the services available and are able to engage effectively with referral pathways into treatment and support.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continue to support the implementation of the MAT Standards. In 2024/25 MAT standard 3 (All people at high risk of drug-related harm are proactively identified and offered support to commence or continue MAT) is fully implemented or sustained, in 26/29 (90%) ADP areas and partially implemented in 3/29 (10%) ADP areas.
All ADP areas continue to be supported the PHS based MAT Standards Implementation Support Team (MIST) to make sure they have the numerical, process and experiential mechanisms in place for full and sustained MAT implementation by the deadline of April 2026.
Taskforce Action
34. The Scottish Government, chief officers and ADPs should ensure that every worker who is public facing or who works in a publicly funded service completes trauma training appropriate to their role, as set out in the NES Knowledge and Skills Framework for Psychological Trauma and the Scottish Psychological Trauma Training Programme.
Current Position
The Drugs and Alcohol Workforce Knowledge and Skills Framework sets out the practice-specific knowledge and skills required by those whose primary role is to support people affected by substance use. Practising Trauma-Informed Care is one of the 5 main themes identified within the Framework.
We expect the workforce to understand how to Practise Trauma-Informed Care and to be able to confidently embed this within service delivery.
The Drug and Alcohol Learning Directory complements this Framework by providing access to a range of resources that support development of the knowledge identified. A range of learning opportunities to support the development of knowledge and skills in Practising Trauma-Informed Care are contained within this.
Since 2018, Scottish Government has invested over £14 million to support the National Trauma Transformation Programme (NTTP). This includes £1.6 million each year between 2021/22 and 2025/26 shared equally across all 32 local authorities to work with health boards and community planning partners to further progress trauma-informed systems, organisations and workforces.
Taskforce Action
35. ADPs and Healthcare Improvement Scotland (or the Care Inspectorate) should ensure that all drug services are delivered in psychologically- and trauma-informed environments.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continue to retain focus around ensuring all drug services are delivered in psychological and trauma- informed environments.
Funding has been allocated to National Education Scotland from the National Mission funding over a two year period to a specific Trauma informed training project for the workforce to ensure all staff have the correct level and understanding of Trauma informed care training and knowledge to allow the correct level of care to be provided to those who need it within services across the country.
MAT 6 and 10 (MAT 6 - The system that provides MAT is psychologically informed (tier 1); routinely delivers evidence-based low intensity psychosocial interventions (tier 2); and supports individuals to grow social networks. MAT 10 -All people receive trauma informed care) were assessed jointly in 2024/25. In 2024/25 this combined standard was fully implemented in 22/29 (76%) ADP areas and partially implemented in 7/29 (24%) ADP areas.
All ADP areas continue to be supported the PHS based MAT Standards Implementation Support Team (MIST) to make sure they have the numerical, process and experiential mechanisms in place for full and sustained MAT implementation by the deadline of April 2026.
Taskforce Action
36. Local ADPs should keep a single, up-to-date, publicly available record of services in their area. It should clearly identify referral pathways and feed into a national platform from which information on any local area can be found.
Current Position
ADPs now have published pathways for Residential Rehabilitation and will be asked to provide similar for all other treatments in the National Specification which will be published by the end of 2025 and will provide guidance to ADPs and other services on what is expected of them to deliver against the Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use.
Taskforce Action
37. Within the next year, the Scottish Government, chief officers and ADPs should ensure that every local area has an effective NFO pathway that follows the outlined procedure. Any person flagged as having an NFO by an emergency responder, service or professional should be referred to the pathway.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continue to support the implementation of the MAT Standards.
All local areas across Scotland have an NFO pathway in place which relates to MAT Standard 3 (All people at high risk of drug-related harm are proactively identified and offered support to commence or continue MAT). The Scottish Government continue to work closely with local areas and the Scottish Ambulance Service, Police Scotland and SPS to ensure they are included within the process.
Taskforce Action
38. The Scottish Government and ADPs should ensure that out-of-hours emergency support for point-of-need care and management of prescriptions is available in every local area. This should provide a place of safety in which individuals can be stabilised and supported to access follow-up support where necessary.
Current Position
Work is continuing to ensure that there is adequate support in each area to meet out-of-hours needs. The majority of areas provide access to out-of-hours support with organisations such as Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs also offering 24 hour services.
Taskforce Action
39. The Scottish Government and NHS 24 should extend the existing phone service to provide a dedicated resource for supporting individuals with their substance use and helping them to access treatment and services in their area. This phone line should be available for individuals and their family members.
Current Position
We support a number of targeted advice lines delivered by third sector partners. Scottish Families affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD) provide a help and advice line for families (08080 10 10 11, helpline@sfad.org.uk or using the web chat) as well as specific bereavement support services.
WithYou provide a free, confidential support on drugs alcohol and mental health through a telephone helpline, web chat and email service alongside providing a directory for local support.
In addition, we have recently developed and announced the completion of a national online service directory in August 2024 which provides a public, nationwide list of residential rehabilitation providers for the first time, empowering individuals and their loved ones to learn about and access quality residential rehabilitation and identify the best service to support them. This directory is available to all services that have a role supporting such as GP practices and other primary care and community services.
Alcohol and Drug Partnerships provide details around help and support which is available locally and we are working towards sharing this information centrally on our own Scottish Government website. In addition, advice and support is also available on the NHSinform website.
This content will be reviewed in 25/26 in partnership with PHS. This work will also consider alignment of the SFAD Directory and the Scottish Service Directory.
Taskforce Action
40. The UK Government should implement legislative changes to support the introduction of Supervised Drug Consumption Facilities. In the interim, the Scottish Government should continue its efforts with stakeholders to support their implementation within the existing legal framework.
Current Position
The Thistle service, the UKs first safer drug consumption facility, opened in Glasgow in January 2025. This was possible due to a statement of prosecution policy provided by the Lord Advocate. The statement of prosecution policy only covers the Thistle Facility's pilot period and is time-limited. While the UK Government is clear that they do not plan on establishing safer drug consumption facilities elsewhere in the UK, they remain committed to working with the Scottish Government on sharing best practice.
Taskforce Action
41. SDCFs should be available nationally but be locally commissioned to meet the specific needs of the population, in line with the public health needs assessment. They should be sustainably funded, operated by appropriately trained multidisciplinary teams and incorporate appropriate aftercare.
Current Position
Following the opening of the Thistle in Glasgow, we continue to work with partners to explore the provision of safer drug consumption facilities in other locations, based on local needs. Due to the continued opposition of the UK Government, establishing any further facilities will remain problematic and will require any interested areas to follow a similar process to Glasgow.
Taskforce Action
42. Clear engagement with local communities and all relevant stakeholders, including sharing the evidence base for SDCFs, should be taken forward prior to implementation in a local area
Current Position
As per the guidance from the Lord Advocate, this will remain a priority for any area wishing to establish an SDCF. Also, from the experience of the Thistle, the need for good public engagement prior to opening, and once any facility has been opened, is clearly vital.
Taskforce Action
43. The Scottish Government should work with NHS naloxone leads and pharmaceutical companies to ensure sufficient supplies are available to meet anticipated demand.
Current Position
Scottish Government officials remain in contact with colleagues from around the UK to discuss naloxone, monitor any increases in demand and respond accordingly.
Taskforce Action
44. The UK Government should permanently reclassify naloxone from a POM to a Pharmacy or General Sales List medicine.
Current Position
We continue to discuss this with the UK Government however this remains a decision for them and the manufacturers.
Taskforce Action
45. In the absence of a full reclassification of naloxone, the Scottish Government should work closely with the UK Government to ensure that the changes planned reflect the breadth of the Lord Advocate’s Statement of Prosecution Policy in Scotland.
Current Position
UK human medicine regulations were amended in December 2024 to allow for wider distribution of naloxone. Work is still ongoing to establish a new registration service in Scotland, alongside other UK partners, but this is expected to be in place in autumn 2025.
Taskforce Action
46. The Scottish Government should also engage with the Lord Advocate in relation to extending the time that the current Statement of Prosecution Policy is in place.
Current Position
Officials meet regularly with COPFS colleagues to review the statement of prosecution policy and to ensure it will remain in place until the new registration service is established.
Taskforce Action
47. The NHS should establish a National Naloxone Coordinator post in NHS National Services Scotland to nationally manage the provision of naloxone. This role should be regularly reviewed to ensure it is effective and still needed. The roles of naloxone leads in health boards should be formalised.
Current Position
We will continue to consider this as we take forward work to develop our post-National Mission approach to drugs and alcohol.
Taskforce Action
48. The National Naloxone Coordinator should ensure that all front-facing public services staff are trained and have access to naloxone.
Current Position
We will continue to consider this as we take forward work to develop our post-National Mission approach to drugs and alcohol.
Taskforce Action
49. GPs should be encouraged to supply naloxone on GP10 prescriptions and through direct distribution of naloxone packs, possibly obtained on a stock order to hold in the practice.
Current Position
We will continue to consider this as we take forward work to develop our post-National Mission approach to drugs and alcohol.
Taskforce Action
50. An awareness campaign should be launched for GPs and practice staff around naloxone to enable them to provide information to patients on its use.
Current Position
We will continue to consider this as we take forward work to develop our post-National Mission approach to drugs and alcohol.
Taskforce Action
51. All community pharmacies should hold naloxone for administration in an emergency and should be able to supply Take Home Naloxone (THN) to people who use drugs, families and anyone likely to witness an opioid overdose.
Current Position
The Scottish Government has provided funding to Community Pharmacy Scotland to allow them to hold stocks of naloxone for use in an emergency. Further work is required to allow them to distribute naloxone and we will continue to consider this as we take forward work to develop our post-National Mission approach to drugs and alcohol.
Taskforce Action
52. The National Naloxone Coordinator should ensure that naloxone training is incorporated into all standard first-aid and resuscitation training, and consideration should be given to supplying “naloxboxes”. Training should be provided for all students in professions where people may reasonably be expected to come into contact with a person experiencing an overdose.
Current Position
We will continue to consider this as we take forward work to develop our post-National Mission approach to drugs and alcohol.
Taskforce Action
53. Clarity must be provided on the legal right to carry and administer naloxone.
Current Position
While there has been a lot of guidance issued (including a national naloxone campaign funded by Scottish Government) there remains a need for additional clarity around naloxone carriage and administration. We will continue to consider this as we take forward work to develop our post-National Mission approach to drugs and alcohol.
Taskforce Action
54. The NHS Naloxone Coordinator and Public Health Scotland should undertake a rapid review of the monitoring and evaluation of naloxone. The review should lead to changes to more effectively assess the amount of naloxone in circulation, its use and the effectiveness of current initiatives to increase distribution.
Current Position
Public Health Scotland undertook this work with a report published in 2023. Some of the recommendations from that report have already been implemented while others will be factored into work to develop our post-National Mission approach to drugs and alcohol.
Taskforce Action
55. People should continue to be able to access Take Home Naloxone (THN) through a “click and deliver” service that is accessible to all. ADPs, as well as services that do not offer THN, should direct people who use drugs, peers and family members to this service. The Scottish Government should ensure that the service is adequately funded to meet increasing demand
Current Position
This service continues to operate with funding from Scottish Government.
Taskforce Action
56. The Scottish Government should expand the THN programme, ensuring in particular that it is available where required for all leavers from police and prison custody and on release from hospital.
Current Position
The expansion of the availability and accessibility of naloxone remains a priority for the Scottish Government and we will continue to explore new avenues for increased distribution, alongside continuing to focus on well-known high-risk populations, such as people leaving prison or police custody.
Taskforce Action
57. As part of the roll-out of naloxone provision, the Scottish Government should look to extend its availability wherever possible, including through the support of relevant public-facing services such as taxi and bus companies.
Current Position
The expansion of the availability and accessibility of naloxone remains a priority for the Scottish Government and we will continue to explore new avenues for increased distribution.
Taskforce Action
58. Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Scottish Government should work with navigator services to develop standards and guidance to which services must adhere. People should be guaranteed a consistent standard of care and support that encompasses all areas, including mental health, violence and drug use.
Current Position
We continue to deliver the national Emergency Department Navigator Service including the Pathfinder service that supports efforts to prevent drug deaths and who offer support to people who use drugs including in the justice system.
Taskforce Action
59. The Scottish Government should ensure that a navigator framework is set up and consolidated, allowing local knowledge to link with national funding.
Current Position
We will continue to consider this as we take forward work to develop our post-National Mission approach to drugs and alcohol.
Taskforce Action
60. The Scottish Government should commission the development of standards and guidance for all services that use peer support, ensuring workers are paid, developed and have career progression opportunities.
Current Position
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people with lived experience are supported to establish careers within the sector and play a more active role in the design and delivery of services. The Scottish Government published two Employability Support Toolkits on 04 June 2025 to support people with lived and living experience on their journey to enter and sustain employment.
The ‘Pathways to Employment: Your guide to a career in substance use services’ toolkit brings a range of information and advice together in one resource for people with lived and living experience of substance use looking to pursue careers in the drug and alcohol sector. The ‘Pathways to Employment: Supporting people with lived and living experience of substance use in to work’ brings together best practice and advice into one place to provide employers and employment specialists advice on how to attract, recruit and support staff with lived experience of substance use.
Peer workers have an important role to play in support services such as assertive outreach programmes. The Scottish Government has been promoting Fair Work practices since 2019, through our Fair Work First policy. Employers in Scotland who are in receipt of public sector grants, contracts and other funding have been asked to adopt Fair Work First principles.
In July 2023, further strengthening of this approach was introduced which requires employers in receipt of public sector grant funding to pay their workers at least the real Living Wage and provide appropriate channels for an effective voice. The Scottish Government believe that public sector funding should leverage wider societal benefits, such as high Fair Work standards.
Further exploration of the development of standards and guidance for peer support workers is planned.
Taskforce Action
61. The Scottish Government should support the provision of licensed drug-checking facilities nationally, ensuring they are available within existing services, at key events and through a postal system.
Current Position
The Scottish Government is currently progressing work to support the implementation of a pilot drug checking service in Scotland, with point of care facilities in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. These facilities will deliver testing and provide results to service users at the site where the sample is handed in. Results will be provided within a relatively short timeframe and people can be engaged in harm reduction conversations and support. The point of care facilities will be supported by a National Testing Laboratory.
We are committed to delivering drug checking facilities which will enable services to respond faster to emerging drug trends. We will continue to work with partners to implement these facilities across our pilot cities as soon as possible.
Taskforce Action
62. Over the next two years, the Scottish Government, chief officers and ADPs should ensure that all the MAT standards are fully implemented, embedded and mainstreamed, with standards 1–5 implemented in the next year.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continue to work closely with ADPs and partners to ensure the deadline is achieved in relation to all 10 MAT Standards being fully embedded and sustained across Scotland by April 2026.
Taskforce Action
63. The Scottish Government and Healthcare Improvement Scotland should develop and implement overarching treatment and recovery guidance and standards for alcohol and drug services.
Current Position
Work to develop and publish the National Specification is underway. We aim to publish by the end of 2025 to support the launch of our Drugs and Alcohol Plan for 2026. The Specification is the first step towards overarching standards for all alcohol and drug support services.
Taskforce Action
64. The Scottish Government should support and promote a national roll-out of HAT.
Current Position
While the Scottish Government remains supportive of HAT, the commitment to establish a facility, both financially and from a staffing perspective, has meant that no other area has pursued this. A scoping exercise was carried out in Dundee to assess the possibility of establishing a service there, however, that exercise concluded that it wouldn’t be the best use of the limited resources within the city. With the changes to substances being used, particularly with cocaine now being more prevalent, there is also a feeling that the need for HAT facilities is a lot more limited than in the past.
Taskforce Action
65. A whole-systems approach should be adopted nationally and locally to meeting the requirements of the MAT standards for treatment and support for those who wish, and are appropriate for accessing, care in a primary care setting. This should include shared care protocols and contractual arrangements for primary care provision that must be effectively implemented and appropriately resourced. Local and national adjustments to the GP contract may be required.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continues to support the ongoing work with implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards. Public Health Scotland published the 2024/25 National Benchmarking Report on the implementation of the MAT Standards in June 2025 which highlighted for MAT 7 (All people have the option of MAT shared with primary care) that the standard was fully implemented in 18/29 (62%) of ADP areas and partially implemented for 11/29 (38%) of ADP areas.
The Scottish Government is working with Public Health Scotland who are reviewing the MAT 7 criteria to ensure they remain fit for purpose.
All ADP areas continue to be supported the PHS based MAT Standards Implementation Support Team (MIST) to make sure they have the numerical, process and experiential mechanisms in place for full and sustained MAT implementation by the deadline of April 2026.
Taskforce Action
66. Drug treatment services should facilitate transfers to and from primary care at all stages of the person’s journey, depending on their needs and wishes.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continues to support the ongoing work with implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards. Public Health Scotland published the 2024/25 National Benchmarking Report on the implementation of the MAT Standards in June 2025 which highlighted for MAT 7 (All people have the option of MAT shared with primary care) that the standard was fully implemented in 18/29 (62%) of ADP areas and partially implemented for 11/29 (38%) of ADP areas.
All ADP areas continue to be supported the PHS based MAT Standards Implementation Support Team (MIST) to make sure they have the numerical, process and experiential mechanisms in place for full and sustained MAT implementation by the deadline of April 2026.
Taskforce Action
67. Referrals to primary care (such as GP, pharmacy, optician and dental services) should be backed by a plan for disengaging from the service. Appropriate aftercare should be in place, with the option for a barrier-free return to specialist care if needed.
Current Position
The work being done through our National Specification will set out the need for end-to-end pathways which include referrals to and from GPs and specialist services.
Taskforce Action
68. WAND should be expanded throughout Scotland, reflecting the requirement of MAT Standard 4.
Current Position
WAND is one option for delivering on MAT standard 4, and this is an option which has already been adopted in some local areas. The decision on which option is most appropriate is for local areas to decide.
Taskforce Action
69. The Scottish Government should support a move from pharmacy payments being based on number of supervisions to a per capita system.
Current Position
The Scottish Government will consider this recommended Action as part of developing future arrangements - working with delivery partners, including community pharmacies and local Directors of Pharmacy.
Taskforce Action
70. A nationally agreed specification should be developed with directors of pharmacy and Community Pharmacy Scotland. This should set out what should be expected of each pharmacy in Scotland.
Current Position
The Scottish Government will publish a national Specification by the end of 2025 which will help deliver on this commitment.
Taskforce Action
71. The UK Government should conduct a review of the regulations on prescriptions by the end of this year. The review should take account of the changes made since the initial regulations were implemented in 2001.
Current Position
We remain keen to see UK reforms and will work with the UK Government wherever possible to bring change and improvement.
Taskforce Action
72. The Scottish Government should expand the current commitment on residential rehabilitation to consider crisis and stabilisation, detoxification and residential rehabilitation. Appropriate funding should be provided to ensure that all are available everywhere in Scotland at the point of need.
Current Position
Since 2023 additional funding has been provided to ADPs to expand crisis care and stabilisation in their areas. Work is continuing on developing a national framework of stabilisation, crisis care and detox service providers. This includes discussions with Scotland Excel about the potential of developing a funding framework for stabilisation services (similar to the flexible framework in place for Residential Rehab).
Taskforce Action
73. The Scottish Government should work to ensure national coverage of crisis and stabilisation services that include crisis beds to provide a place of safety. This should be available out of hours and have links to SAS to enable SAS personnel to take an individual directly to the service.
Current Position
Linked to the actions for point 73; Since 2023 additional funding has been provided to ADPs to expand crisis care and stabilisation in their areas. Work is continuing on developing a national framework of stabilisation, crisis care and detox service providers. This includes discussions with Scotland Excel about the potential of developing a funding framework for stabilisation services (similar to the flexible framework in place for Residential Rehab).
Taskforce Action
74. The Scottish Government should ensure recovery communities are funded to provide their vital service and are encouraged to develop peer-led services.
Current Position
We continue to fund a number of organisations delivering national lived and living experience-led initiatives and supporting recovery communities. These include Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF), Scottish Recovery Consortium (SRC), Crew, Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD). We have committed £65 million over the duration of the national mission to the Corra Foundation to support third sector and grassroots organisations. Since the launch of the National Drugs Mission funds in 2021, over 300 projects across Scotland have received funding, providing much needed assurance to these vital organisations.
Taskforce Action
75. The Scottish Government should look at opportunities for expanded residential and specialised care services to be used as an alternative to remand or custody, where appropriate.
Current Position
The Scottish Government currently provides funding for a small residential service for men involved in the justice system, including people on community orders (the Turnaround service, provided by Turning Point Scotland).
Taskforce Action
76. Statutory partners in the justice system should develop standard operating procedures for the sharing of information at all points of the justice system and with services.
Current Position
We have invested £3.25 million as part of the multi-year project to develop a new clinical IT system. The new system will reduce clinical risk and improve healthcare for prisoners as they enter, remain, and leave prison custody. It will link prison systems to existing Health Board systems, providing professionals in both settings with easy access to patient history, improving continuity of care.
Taskforce Action
77. The Scottish Government should work with statutory partners in the justice system to develop a single record for people’s justice journey to ensure tailored support at all stages of the journey and support decision making.
Current Position
We have invested £3.25 million as part of the multi-year project to develop a new clinical IT system. The new system will reduce clinical risk and improve healthcare for prisoners as they enter, remain, and leave prison custody. It will link prison systems to existing Health Board systems, providing professionals in both settings with easy access to patient history, improving continuity of care.
Taskforce Action
78. The Scottish Government and statutory partners in the justice system should ensure that navigators and outreach workers have the resources to follow and support vulnerable individuals throughout their justice journey and beyond.
Current Position
We continue to deliver the national Emergency Department Navigator Service including the Pathfinder service that supports efforts to prevent drug deaths and who offer support to people who use drugs including in the justice system.
Taskforce Action
79. Statutory partners in the justice system should develop standard operating procedures for referral at every point of the justice system. They should work proactively with vulnerable individuals and their families to ensure all policies and procedures are trauma-informed.
Current Position
Effective referral pathways are critical to improving and saving lives. It is clear that people in the justice system who have complex needs and their families require holistic support. We are improving referral processes at all stages of the justice system including through our National Strategy for Community Justice.
The Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill proposes the introduction of a duty on named public bodies to engage in pre-release planning with the intention of improving the provision of support to people leaving prison.
Taskforce Action
80. The current diversion from prosecution guidance should be reviewed to incorporate support for treatment and recovery as part of a diversion pathway. Local authorities should work with specialists and people with lived and living experience to embed the guidance in a consistent and evidence-based way and monitor and evaluate its effects.
Current Position
The HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland, the Care Inspectorate, and HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland published the ‘Joint review of diversion from prosecution’, on 21 February 2023. Progress is being made in implementing the recommendations including revising national guidelines to ensure individuals actively contribute to and agree their diversion plans.
Taskforce Action
81. The Scottish Government should support the development of a national diversion from prosecution forum for practitioners and agencies who work with people who use drugs, and a multi-agency tasking and coordination protocol to support people who use drugs and who have multiple complex needs.
Current Position
Our position from January 2023 remains the same and this action is complete. A revised National Strategy for Community Justice was published in June 2022 which included support for the development from prosecution forum. A delivery plan was published in June 2023.
Taskforce Action
82. The Scottish Government and Community Justice Scotland should develop a national diversion toolkit on supporting people who use drugs. It should reflect the tailored support that is needed to promote people’s treatment and recovery.
Current Position
A revised National Strategy for Community Justice was published in June 2022, and aims to optimise the use of diversion and intervention at the earliest opportunity. While the specific recommendation for developing a toolkit was not taken forward, Community Justice Scotland previously published National Guidelines for diversion in 2020, with revised multi-agency Guidelines set for publication in 2025.
Taskforce Action
83. The Scottish Government and Police Scotland should ensure that police referral pathways are available nationally. This may include developing a national standard operating procedure.
Current Position
We continue to deliver the national Emergency Department Navigator Service including the Pathfinder service that supports efforts to prevent drug deaths and who offer support to people who use drugs including in the justice system.
Taskforce Action
84. The Scottish Government and Police Scotland should establish a shared practice and learning network for police referrals to develop national consistency, with variation based on local needs.
Current Position
Police arrest referrals are intended to break the link between substance use and offending by improving uptake of services among those whose offending is linked to alcohol or drug use. High quality healthcare, social care and health improvement services in police custody can enable people to access a range of clinical services and social care services enabling access to community services previously unavailable to them and ensuring continuity of care. NHS and Police Scotland are in the process of finalising a Target Operating Model for healthcare in police custody.
Taskforce Action
85. Embedding MAT standards in police and prison custody settings should be a top priority for the Scottish Government, Police Scotland, the Scottish Prison Service and NHS Scotland.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continues to support the ongoing work with implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards in justice settings. Public Health Scotland published the 2024/25 National Benchmarking Report on the implementation of the MAT Standards in June 2025 which highlighted progress of MAT implementation in justice settings and this will be a focus for 2025/26.
There is significant work still needed in justice setting as barriers to access for services has been an issue in prisons and police custody along with data sharing barriers between healthcare teams in justice settings and in community settings. The newly published SPS Alcohol and Drug Recovery Strategy will help address those barriers, and justice settings are now a priority focus for MIST and HIS in their support for local areas developing and implementing improvements until the end of the National Mission. This will allow for benchmarking of the standards for 2025/26 in prisons.
Taskforce Action
86. By the end of 2022, the Scottish Government should publish an action plan with timescales for implementation of the measures supported in the bail and release from custody consultation.
Current Position
The Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament in June 2023. It is intended that the remaining provisions will be commenced in the coming year, in discussion with a range of stakeholders to consider the workforce and operational readiness.
Taskforce Action
87. The Taskforce would welcome a review of sentencing guidelines by the Scottish Sentencing Council to take greater account of the treatment and recovery needs of people who use drugs. Scottish Government should engage with the Council to request the proposed review.
Current Position
The work priorities of the Sentencing Council are a matter for the independent Council. However, an independent Commission has been established to review sentencing and penal policy and identify the most effective ways to address offending behaviour to help reduce crime and lower the number of victims. The purpose is to consider how imprisonment and community-based interventions are currently used in Scotland and ensure that Scotland has a sustainable prison population.
Taskforce Action
88. The Scottish Government should commission a peer led evaluation of the Glasgow Drug Court to explore how this approach is more successful than a standard court process and support the expansion of the drug court model.
Current Position
Part 1 of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 focuses on the use of bail and remand in recognition of the negative impact that short periods of imprisonment can have. It amends the legal framework, which is used to make bail decisions, through the introduction of a single, new bail test, which will seek to ensure that, as much as possible, the use of remand is reserved only for cases where public safety requires it, or there is a significant risk of prejudice to the interests of justice. The new bail test and other non-commenced sections of the bail reforms in Part 1 of the Act were introduced on 14 May 2025.
Taskforce Action
89. The Scottish Prison Service and NHS Scotland should ensure that all people in prison have access to effective treatment and support for recovery. This should be a blanket policy that includes those on remand and is properly resourced through appropriate investment.
Current Position
Part 2 of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 focuses on arrangements around release from prison custody, introducing provisions to improve release planning processes and support available to people leaving prison. It also introduces provisions to end release on a Friday, or the day before a public holiday, recognising the difficulties people experience accessing the community-based services they need when released on those days. It is intended that the remaining provisions will be commenced in the coming year, in discussion with a range of stakeholders to consider workforce and operational readiness.
We are supporting the Scottish Recovery Consortium's (SRC) recovery in prisons work by providing £320,00 over two years to help them build systemic, cultural, and operational change across the prison estate. They aim to do this through integrating and embedding a person-centred recovery focused approach benefitting prisoners, families, and staff. This continues into the transition and resettlement back into the community.
The project started in April 2021 in HMP Perth with ten residents, then went on to Edinburgh, Addiewell, Glenochil, Polmont and Corntonvale. Recovery initiatives are now in place across all prisons in Scotland.
The Prison to Rehab Protocol was introduced to support individuals with problematic drug or alcohol use in accessing residential rehabilitation upon release.
Taskforce Action
90. The Scottish Prison Service and NHS Scotland should ensure that people who use drugs are provided with naloxone on liberation. Peer-to-peer supply should be available across the prison estate.
Current Position
Provision of naloxone to people on liberation from prison has been a core part of the Scottish Government naloxone programme since its inception. We will continue to prioritise this group, recognising the high chance of overdose on release. We have also supported the establishment of a peer-to-peer group through SDF.
Taskforce Action
91. The Scottish Government and Scottish Prison Service should, with the support of the third sector and people with lived and living experience, expand the recovery cafes/hubs across the prison estate, developing these into recovery communities that effectively support people who use drugs.
Current Position
We fund the Scottish Recovery Consortium to embed a person-centred recovery focused approach in prisons. Through their contact with people in prisons via recovery cafes, SRC are able to encourage people to engage with these communities on release to help continue their recovery support.
Taskforce Action
92. The Scottish Government and the Scottish Prison Service should establish an integrated case management approach, seamlessly connecting service provision from the community, throughout an individual’s time in prison and beyond.
Current Position
The Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament in June 2023. It is intended that the remaining provisions will be commenced in the coming year, in discussion with a range of stakeholders to consider the workforce, operational readiness and integrated case management.
Taskforce Action
93. Individuals should receive treatment and support throughout their time in prison and have a release plan established from day one identifying the services they need to access on release. This should be continuously updated.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continues to support the ongoing work with regards to implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards in justice settings.
There is significant work still needed in justice setting as barriers to access for services has been an issue in prisons and police custody along with data sharing barriers between healthcare teams in justice settings and in community settings. MAT Standards implementation is a focus for MIST and the aim is to provide benchmarking of the standards for in prisons in the 2025/26 Report.
The Scottish Prison Service published a Drug and Alcohol strategy in January 2025. This is likely to improve care more broadly for people within justice settings which is expected to support efforts to implement MAT in justice
Taskforce Action
94. Prisons should be permeable to enable access for services, be they statutory or third sector.
Current Position
SPS published a new ten-year Alcohol and Drug Recovery Strategy on 18 February 2025. The strategy sets out how SPS, working alongside partners, aim to reduce supply, support people in their recovery, and create better environments for everyone to live and work. The strategy has been developed through extensive partnership working with a range of stakeholders, ensuring the safety of those under our care remains paramount.
Our National Strategy for Community Justice aims to ensure that services are accessible and available to address the needs of individuals accused or convicted of an offence.
Taskforce Action
95. Statutory services should be obliged to continue (or establish) support for all individuals in prison, including those on remand, ensuring that there is no gap in provision on release and that individuals leave prison better supported than when they entered.
Current Position
SPS published a new ten-year Alcohol and Drug Recovery Strategy on 18 February 2025. The strategy sets out how SPS, working alongside partners, aim to reduce supply, support people in their recovery, and create better environments for everyone to live and work. The strategy has been developed through extensive partnership working with a range of stakeholders, ensuring the safety of those under our care remains paramount.
Part 2 of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act focuses on arrangements around release from prison custody, introducing provisions to improve release planning processes and support available to people leaving prison. It also introduces provisions to end release on a Friday, or the day before a public holiday, recognising the difficulties people experience accessing the community-based services they need when released on those days. It is intended that the remaining provisions will be commenced in the coming year, in discussion with a range of stakeholders to consider workforce and operational readiness.
Taskforce Action
96. The Scottish Government should change the legislation to implement a blanket policy of no liberations on a Friday or the day before a public holiday.
Current Position
The Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 includes a provision to end liberation on a Friday or the day before a public holiday. It is intended that this provision will be commenced in the coming year, in discussion with stakeholders to consider workforce and operational readiness.
Taskforce Action
97. The Scottish Government should build on the Prison to Rehab programme, utilising the learning from the 2021 evaluation in a wider national roll-out.
Current Position
The Prison-to-rehab programme continues to be available nationally with referral data recorded and published by Public Health Scotland.
Taskforce Action
98. The Scottish Government should review drug treatment and testing orders, community payback orders and other community sentencing options to assess how they have been used, their outcomes and whether they are the most effective mechanism to support an individual’s recovery and reduce recidivism rates.
Current Position
The review was published in 2023 and highlights that Community Payback Orders with particular requirements can provide similar services to Drug Treatment and Testing Orders, helping to ensure that individuals’ support needs are met. The findings of the review will continue to inform ongoing policy work on sentencing for people with substance use problems. The Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission is due to publish at the end of 2025. Their remit covers all community sentences, including for people who use substances, and we await any recommendations they might make in this space.
Taskforce Action
99. The Scottish Government should undertake a transparent and externally validated benchmarking exercise to ensure that every ADP is implementing the partnership delivery framework.
Current Position
Within the Partnership Delivery Framework Self Assessment, elements will be included to aid local support teams in ensuring compliance and reporting.
Taskforce Action
100. The Scottish Government should publish a statement setting out how governance of alcohol and drug services will be improved by the introduction of the NCS. The statement should clearly articulate how the service will establish the most effective governance structure for managing drug-related deaths and harms.
Current Position
The new National Care Service Advisory Board will consider an initial paper on the Structural Barriers to Drug and Alcohol Treatment Planning and Delivery at its meeting in September 2025, which will highlight the complexities and to help inform subsequent governance considerations.
Taskforce Action
101. Chief officers ultimately should be accountable for the response to drug-related deaths in their area, coordinated through the Chief Officers’ Group. Chief officers should take responsibility for delivering strategic outcomes against national targets and for improving the system to prevent deaths wherever possible.
Current Position
The Scottish Government is working with stakeholders to review and update the Partnership Delivery Framework (PDF). The revised and updated PDF will ensure the governance and accountability is clearer and more consistent. The structure and resources chapter within the PDF will set out the responsibilities of the key roles including Chief Officers.
Taskforce Action
102. The Scottish Government should develop a national framework for the operation of drug-death review groups across Scotland. It should set the expectation that every death is reviewed to learn lessons, with these being reported directly to the Chief Officers’ Group to facilitate change and prevent further deaths.
Current Position
Public Health Scotland have been developing new guidance on drug death reviews. It is expected that this will be published later in 2025.
Taskforce Action
103. The Scottish Government should ensure that all services in the alcohol and drugs sector are inspected by either Healthcare Improvement Scotland or the Care Inspectorate. Avenues for individuals to anonymously raise concerns or complaints for investigation should be provided.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continues to support MAT Standards implementation. Public Health Scotland published the 2024/25 National Benchmarking Report on the implementation of the MAT Standards in June 2025. MAT Standard 8 (All People have access to independent advocacy and support for housing, welfare and income needs), reported that the standard was fully implemented in 26/29 (90%) of ADP areas and partially implemented in 3/29 (10%) of ADP areas.
All providers of Residential Rehabilitation are either registered and inspected by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (Private Hospitals) or the Care Inspectorate (Care Homes or Specialist Supported Accommodation) and these organisations will hear complaints/concerns for services registered by them.
Taskforce Action
104. The Scottish Government should ensure that all self-assessments used are externally validated and chief officers are held to account for their quality.
Current Position
Within the revised Partnership Delivery Framework, self assessment elements will be included to aid local support teams in ensuring compliance and reporting. Whilst, it is not the Scottish Government’s intention at this time to impose specific external validation of self assessment of local ADP governance, we do intend to clarify how ADPs can consistently make their activity subject to more robust scrutiny.
Taskforce Action
105. The First Minister should commit to sustaining and accelerating the current focus on drug-related deaths, with a dedicated Minister for Drugs Policy, until there is a meaningful and sustained downward trend in drug-related deaths.
Current Position
The Scottish Government remains committed to focusing on drug related deaths. The First Minister appointed a dedicated Minister with responsibility for Drugs Policy in December 2020 and four successive Ministers have held that position between then and now. Action on drugs deaths has been a priority in the Programme for Government each year since the National Mission was announced in 2021.
Taskforce Action
106. The First Minister/Minister for Drugs Policy should clearly define what a public health emergency response to drug-related deaths means in practice, what new powers or resources it unlocks and how it influences activity under the National Mission.
Current Position
The Scottish Government has been clear in what we are asking of delivery partners to combat the public health emergency. There remain limits on the powers of the Scottish Government to legislate, although we continue to work closely with UK Government to find solutions to legal barriers.
Taskforce Action
107. The Scottish Government should work to break down silos in policy-making and ensure that appropriate groups are in place internally to drive action on drug-related deaths and facilitate the implementation of the Taskforce’s recommendations and actions.
Current Position
The Scottish Government agrees with the importance of removing silos and ensuring a collaborative response. We published our Cross Government Plan in response to the Taskforce Recommendations in January 2023 and continue to monitor progress as part of the wider National Mission governance and assurance processes.
In 2024 we re-assessed our governance and delivery approach and have a new Delivery Group chaired by the Director of Population Health and made up of Chief Executives from key delivery partners including Public Health Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships, COSLA, the Corra Foundation, SOLACE and Community Justice Scotland. The Chief Social Worker is also a core member of the group and the group also has medical professional representation.
Taskforce Action
108. The Scottish Government should publish a national outcomes framework and strategy underpinning the National Mission. This should outline the outcomes, drivers and indicators through which the Mission will be measured. It should also clearly outline what funding is allocated to each overarching objective.
Current Position
The "National Mission on Drug Deaths: Plan 2022-2026," published on 9th August 2022, sets out how we plan to deliver the National Mission over the duration of this Parliament.
Taskforce Action
109. Local leaders at all levels must take ownership of the drug-deaths crisis in their area. They must take responsibility for delivering the whole system of care outlined in this report and embedding the principles of a person-centred, human rights-based and trauma-informed approach in services, with people with lived, living and family experience at its heart.
Current Position
The Partnership Delivery Framework will clarify accountability and how partners will work together with local leaders and integrate the principles of the Charter. The Scottish Government governance arrangements do and will continue to include system leaders to ensure shared ownership and accountability. Moreover, MAT Reporting provides a mechanism to measuring whether local areas are embedding the principles of a person-centred, human rights-based and trauma-informed approach in services.
Taskforce Action
110. As outlined by the Drug Death Reporting Short Life Working Group, a National Co-ordinator for Drug-related Deaths role should be created in Public Health Scotland to improve consistency and data-sharing and coordinate a review of the national drug-related death database. This role should be regularly reviewed to ensure it is effective and still needed.
Current Position
The National Coordinator is in place within Public Health Scotland and is continuing to work on the National Drug Related Death Database, alongside taking forward guidance on the operation of drug death reviews.
Taskforce Action
111. A full review of public health surveillance should be undertaken, led by the Scottish Government and involving all partners. The aim would be to ensure that the most relevant data is collected and shared in a transparent and accountable way, thereby furthering achievement of the objectives of the National Mission.
Current Position
The RADAR system run by PHS has been embedded and it producers regular quarterly reports and issues Alerts based on the requirement for local services to raise novel issues with the RADAR team. The RADAR system benefits from reports from a wide variety of sources. We have also established an Incident management Team in response to changing patterns of drug use and near fatal overdoses and drug deaths related to synthetics.
Taskforce Action
112. Public Health Scotland should build on the established early warning system to improve data linkage and provide the most up-to-date and accurate information for responding to risks..
Current Position
The drugs early warning system RADAR (Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response) was launched in 2022 and will continue to be developed by PHS in collaboration with partners across the sector. The RADAR program’s data sub-group is focussed on ensuring effective and robust data collection methods, reviewing the quality and completeness of data to ensure long-term sustainability while the program develops. The Scottish Government is also engaged with National Records of Scotland and Public Health Scotland around linkage of drug-related health data sources to generate public health intelligence for surveillance and monitoring purposes on problem drug use and its consequences.
Taskforce Action
113. The Scottish Government must publish a detailed evaluation plan for the National Mission as part of the national outcomes framework and strategy.
Current Position
The Scottish Government has commissioned a full evaluation of the National Mission through Public Health Scotland. This report will be published after the end of the National Mission Term. A number of interim reports have already been published - these are supporting the development of our post-26 planning.
Taskforce Action
114. All services should develop a monitoring and evaluation plan by the end of the year. The plan should embed a quality improvement approach to ensure the best service for people who use drugs.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continues to work with HIS who provide improvement support for MAT Standards implementation.
Taskforce Action
115. If not already doing so, ADPs should develop formal mechanisms for capturing lessons learned through service delivery, partnership working, and monitoring and evaluation. They should actively share this learning and quality improvement activity with other ADPs and the Scottish Government through the existing engagement structure.
Current Position
Within the Reporting and Scrutiny section of the revised Partnership Delivery Framework, due to be published early in 2026, we intend to make provision for highlighting and sharing good practice and learning when things go wrong.
Taskforce Action
116. The Scottish Government and chief officers should ensure that transparent public monitoring information is available for the services delivered in local areas. This should include monitoring the implementation of the Taskforce recommendations and actions and delivery against the outcomes of the national outcomes framework.
Current Position
The National Specification to be published by the end of 2025 will include advice to Chief Officers Groups on their roles in implementation of the Taskforce recommendations that are being taken forward in this Cross Government Plan.
Taskforce Action
117. The Scottish Government should commit to providing sustainable funding to assist individuals in connecting digitally with those who care about them and the services that support them.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continues to provide funding to the Digital Lifelines Scotland programme with £783,150 in grant funding made available to this project from the Alcohol and Drugs Budget in 2025/26. By supporting digital inclusion, we are helping people at risk of drug and alcohol related harm to stay connected, access vital services, and rebuild their lives.
Taskforce Action
118. The Scottish Government and wider local leadership should embrace digital innovation, finding ways to improve how people access health, care and support at the point of need.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continues to provide funding to the Digital Lifelines Scotland programme with £783,150 in grant funding made available to this project from the Alcohol and Drugs Budget in 2025/26. By supporting digital inclusion, we are helping people at risk of drug and alcohol related harm to stay connected, access vital services, and rebuild their lives.
Taskforce Action
119. The Scottish Government should explore the conclusions of the Overdose Detection and Responder Alert Technologies (ODART) programme, supporting innovation that has been shown to improve individuals’ experiences.
Current Position
The conclusions of the Overdose Detection and Responder Alert Technologies (ODART) have now been considered and the Scottish Government is currently supporting a Drug Death Innovation Challenge, part funded by the Chief Scientists Office and UK Government, with projects expected to conclude later in 2025.
Taskforce Action
120. The Scottish Government should fund a Civtech round, with partners from across the drug and alcohol sector and wider public service organisations invited to sponsor challenges. Challenges should be targeted to resolve persistent long-term barriers.
Current Position
The Scottish Government continues to support the Drug Death Innovation Challenge, with projects expected to conclude later in 2025.
Taskforce Action
121. The Scottish Government should work with the Information Commissioners Office to provide a guidance note, or an open letter, assuring services that data can be shared between statutory and third-sector partners without consequences under the General Data Protection Regulation.
Current Position
In discussions with colleagues from across the UK it was identified that data sharing was a problem faced by all. As a result, UK Government colleagues are leading on work to develop a single statement which can be used by local partners and which will clearly set out the legal basis for sharing information around drug deaths and near fatal overdoses. This statement is expected from UKG later in 2025.
Taskforce Action
122. All partners urgently need to work to formalise interagency data-sharing relationships to ensure equality of access to data across services. This must also extend to third-sector partners.
Current Position
Recognising that issues around data sharing are a UK wide issue, and in particular the need to improve information sharing around drug deaths and near fatal overdoses, UK Government colleagues are currently leading on the development of guidance for local partners which will set out the legal basis for sharing information around drug deaths and near fatal overdoses. The guidance will also set out key principles, clarify the basis on which information can be shared and provide examples where this is working well.
Taskforce Action
123. The Scottish Government should run a project to develop a single record that follows an individual throughout their treatment and recovery journey, improving data linkage across the system and enabling a shared understanding of an individual’s history, needs and care package. This record can then be shared to inform interactions with the criminal justice system or other support services.
Current Position
The Care Reform (Scotland) Act makes provision for vital reforms to information records and standards. The Scottish Government have commenced work on development of the record and will communicate timescales for delivery in due course. As part of improvements on data and information sharing within the alcohol and drugs services sphere, the Scottish Government will also be formulating a specific data strategy.
Taskforce Action
124. The Scottish Government, in partnership with people with lived and living experience, families and the wider sector, should develop a single platform to ensure that information is available for the people who need it when they need it.
Current Position
We acknowledge the value of this recommendation and continue to work with multiple partners to ensure people can access information directly and when needed.
We support a number of targeted advice lines delivered by third sector partners. Scottish Families affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD) provide a help and advice line for families (08080 10 10 11, helpline@sfad.org.uk or using the web chat) as well as specific bereavement support services.
WithYou provide a free, confidential support on drugs alcohol and mental health through a telephone helpline, web chat and email service alongside providing a directory for local support. In addition, we have developed and announced the completion of a national online service directory in August 2024 which provides a public, nationwide list of residential rehabilitation providers for the first time, empowering individuals and their loved ones to learn about and access quality residential rehabilitation and identify the best service to support them.
This directory is available to all services that have a role supporting such as GP practices and other primary care and community services.
Alcohol and Drug Partnerships provide details around help and support which is available locally and we are working towards sharing this information centrally on our own Scottish Government website.
In addition, advice and support is also available on the NHSinform website. This content will be reviewed in 25/26 in partnership with PHS. This work will also consider alignment of the SFAD Directory and the Scottish Service Directory.
Taskforce Action
125. The Scottish Government should build on the workforce survey by conducting a rapid review to determine the required workforce to deliver the service developments outlined in this report and the key commitments of the National Mission. The review should set out the resources needed to support an expanded workforce across the sector and undertake a training needs assessment.
Current Position
As part of improvements on data and information sharing within the alcohol and drugs services sphere, the Scottish Government will also be formulating a specific data strategy.
Taskforce Action
126. As part of the wider work to develop standards and guidance set out in previous actions, the Scottish Government should ensure the principles of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 are applied to this workforce to ensure safe and appropriate workloads for staff and that their wellbeing is supported.
Current Position
The Workforce Expert Delivery Group that has supported the development of the Drugs and Alcohol Workforce plan and provided expert advice, agreed that this action should be initiated after successful implementation of recently developed Workforce Resources.
Upon Implementation The Scottish Government will explore how we may ensure the principles of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 may inform service design going forward and that those parts of the drugs workforce that are required to comply with the Act, do so.
Taskforce Action
127. The Scottish Government and Healthcare Improvement Scotland should define key competencies and identify mandatory training for workers who support people who use drugs, and provide support for the development of continuous professional development in the service.
Current Position
The Scottish Government has published the Drugs and Alcohol Knowledge and Skills Framework which serves as a guide for practitioners, commissioners, managers and service providers to understand the knowledge and skills required by the drugs and alcohol workforce, in addition to any professional or clinical standards. We have also published the Drugs and Alcohol Learning Directory gives staff access to a wide range of resources to help develop knowledge and skills. It’s designed to support personal and professional growth by providing the most up-to-date and relevant learning opportunities.
Taskforce Action
128. The Scottish Government should improve the availability of specialist dependency modules and courses in higher education, embedding this into undergraduate courses and establishing new post-graduate qualifications.
Current Position
We understand there exists a need to ensure more formalised educational pathways for people to enter, and progress, careers within the sector. Due to other priorities, work on this action has not yet been initiated.
Taskforce Action
129. The Scottish Government should support professions to develop specific pathways for people with lived and living experience to enter the workforce, ensuring they are appropriately paid and have career progression opportunities.
Current Position
The Scottish Government published two Employability Support Toolkits on 4 June 2025 to support people with lived and living experience on their journey to enter and sustain employment. The ‘Pathways to Employment: Your guide to a career in substance use services’ toolkit brings a range of information and advice together in one resource for people with lived and living experience of substance use looking to pursue careers in the drug and alcohol sector. The ‘Pathways to Employment: Supporting people with lived and living experience of substance use in to work’ brings together best practice and advice into one place to provide employers and employment specialists advice on how to attract, recruit and support staff with lived experience of substance use.
Taskforce Action
130. The Scottish Government should develop targeted and accelerated pathways into the sector through, for example, apprenticeships and fast-track courses to address the high level of vacancies.
Current Position
The Scottish Government published two Employability Support Toolkits on 4 June 2025 to support people with lived and living experience on their journey to enter and sustain employment. The ‘Pathways to Employment: Your guide to a career in substance use services’ toolkit brings a range of information and advice together in one resource for people with lived and living experience of substance use looking to pursue careers in the drug and alcohol sector. The ‘Pathways to Employment: Supporting people with lived and living experience of substance use in to work’ brings together best practice and advice into one place to provide employers and employment specialists advice on how to attract, recruit and support staff with lived experience of substance use. Scottish Drugs Forum’s Addiction Workers Training Programme (AWTP) continues to successfully recruit and provide a programme of paid work placements, specialist training and vocational learning for people with a history of drug use. Trainees are supported into further employment upon completion of the project. We have supported the additional recruitment of up to 20 additional trainees per year through investment of £480,000 per year over three years, meaning a total of £1.4 million has been made available for this activity.
Taskforce Action
131. The Scottish Government should develop and rapidly implement a workforce action plan to: increase the number of qualified professionals in the sector; set standards, competencies and training requirements; and ensure the workforce is supported, well-trained and well-resourced.
Current Position
The Scottish Government published the Drugs and Alcohol Workforce Action Plan in December 2023. This set out the key actions for delivery over to address challenges experienced by the drugs and alcohol sector's workforce.
Taskforce Action
132. The Scottish Government should commission guidance on how employees in recovery can be supported.
Current Position
The Scottish Government published a set of Guiding Principles on 4 June 2025 to support people with lived and living experience of substance use. The guiding principles offer employers best practice advice to provide effective support to staff with lived and living experience of substance use.
Taskforce Action
133. The Scottish Government must publish a fully funded plan for the National Mission by the end of this year. This should deliver on all elements of the evidence-based strategic plan outlined in this report. It should commit to increasing funding to meet demand and appropriately resource each aspect of the whole system of care to ensure people can access the support they need when they need it.
Current Position
Our position from January 2023 is the same, the "National Mission on Drug Deaths: Plan 2022-2026," published on 9th August 2022 sets out how we plan to deliver the National Mission over the duration of this Parliament. National Mission on Drugs: Annual Monitoring reports for 2022/23 and 2023/24 have been published, providing an analysis of the progress made each year, with reports for 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to be published at the end of each reporting cycle. We also publish an annual National Mission Annual Report which includes detail on funding streams and overall budget. Annual Reports up to 2024/25 are now available to view.
Taskforce Action
134. The Scottish Government and statutory services should commit to providing sustainable medium-/long-term funding across financial years to provide security for services and the workforce.
Current Position
The Scottish Government offer a wide range of multi-year funding for drug and alcohol services. The 2024/25 Scottish Budget provided funding for alcohol and drugs from NHS Territorial Board baseline budgets (£57.6m) as well as the dedicated Alcohol and Drugs budget (£37.083m) and the National Mission on Drugs budget (£62m). 72% of all funding is delivered via Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs). This include the baseline funding (37% of total) and funding which is provided for specific funding streams as part of the delivery of priorities. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of sustainable, long term funding and continues to work with partners to deliver that.
Taskforce Action
135. The Scottish Government should commit to providing ring-fenced budgets for alcohol and drug services, even if services are absorbed into the NCS, so there is no reduction in their budgets.
Current Position
Despite shifts in the scope and direction of the NCS, we have continued to baseline around a third of our budget, meaning it continues to be directed to ADPs. The 2024/25 baseline for ADPs was £57.6m.
Taskforce Action
136. Portfolios across the Scottish Government should agree ring-fenced funding to support people who use drugs to improve their lives through better access to services and holistic support.
Current Position
The Cross-Government Plan outlined activity for Portfolios to take forward across the Scottish Government. As such, we are working closely with portfolios to ensure correct action, and sufficient funding is allocated to delivering the objectives of the National Mission.
This also includes activity that is wider than the National Mission, such as the government's commitment to tackle child poverty, investing more than £1.4 billion in support benefitting children in low income families, delivering £2.8 million of funding to cancel historic school meal debt and a £41 million package of measures to support households struggling with energy costs over the winter period.
Taskforce Action
137. As part of the National Mission, Scottish Government portfolios should commit to a programme of joint commissioning and joint working. Projects should work towards supporting holistic care pathways and system integration, with a focus on multiple complex needs.
Current Position
The Scottish Government published the cross-government approach in January 2023, setting out a number of areas where cross-government teams would take forward specific drug-related actions. These continue to be monitored quarterly.
Taskforce Action
138. Local partners, coordinated by ADPs, should commit to joint commissioning and joint working to deliver key improvements and support local outcomes frameworks.
Current Position
Within the Reporting and Scrutiny section of the revised Partnership Delivery Framework, due to be published early in 2026, we intend to make provision for highlighting and sharing good practice and learning when things go wrong.
Taskforce Action
139. The Scottish Government should nationally commission residential services, ensuring adequate funding is available to meet the demand for crisis and stabilisation, detoxification and residential rehabilitation. Placements should be free at the point of need and should be available without lengthy delays.
Current Position
Scotland Excel developed a National Commissioning Framework for RR placements that launched in April 2024 in order to streamline procurement of RR placements.
Commissioning Framework for Residential Rehab, including Detox and Stabilisation Services are still under consideration as to the best approach to ensure a consistent approach to commissioning of services across Scotland.