- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 July 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 1 August 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set out the (a) actions it will take and (b) timelines to
deliver its commitment to increase the number of publicly funded residential
rehabilitation placements by 300% by 2026.
Answer
Public Health Scotland’s (PHS) most recent report confirmed that 461 statutory-funded placements were approved in the second half of the 2023-24 financial year alone, with 938 placements approved for the year overall. This indicates that we are already on track to meet our commitment of 1000 people accessing statutory-funded residential rehab in 2026 (an increase of 300%).
While the PHS statistics indicate welcome progress, we recognise the scale of the challenge that we continue to face and are determined to do more.
We are working with ADPs to aid the development of clear pathways into residential rehabilitation across the country, and the establishment of pathway development clusters by Healthcare Improvement Scotland has resulted in 29/30 ADPs publishing their pathways. This will help facilitate a further increase to statutory funded placements and support our aim of meeting the final target before the end of the National Mission in March 2026.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 July 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 1 August 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Public Health Scotland's Interim monitoring report on statutory-funded residential rehabilitation placements, what assessment it has made of whether there are currently any geographic disparities in the provision of rehabilitation beds; what steps it is taking to increase the number of rehabilitation beds, and how it can ensure that they are evenly distributed across all regions.
Answer
The Scottish Government published a capacity mapping report in 2021 which found that residential rehabilitation provision was disproportionally located around the Central Belt.
We acted on this by announcing the second round of the Residential Rehabilitation Rapid Capacity Programme in 2022, with a specific priority to support new or expanded residential rehabilitation facilities which were regional or would accept placements on a national level.
Over £14 million was made available to support the successful projects, which included the expansion of CrossReach’s service in Inverness (with outreach support to the Highlands and Islands), the extension and refurbishment of the Maxie Richards Foundation’s service in Tighnabruaich, and the creation of a new national residential rehab service in Aberdeenshire by Phoenix Futures.
These projects are progressing well and we expect all to be operational by the end of the year.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 July 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 31 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set out its long-term strategy for
addiction recovery services, and how will it ensure a comprehensive and effective
approach to addressing both alcohol and drug misuse.
Answer
The Scottish Government remains committed to addressing the twin public health emergencies on alcohol and drugs and recognises the key role treatment and recovery services play.
Implementation of the Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards in such services is being supplemented with the implementation of UK-wide clinical treatment guidelines for alcohol services. Both MAT and the UK-wide clinical treatment guidelines will feature in the National Specification for alcohol and drugs services. We have committed to publishing the Specification and subsequent overarching guidance for treatment and recovery services, in response to recommendations made by the Drug Deaths Taskforce. The Specification and guidance, alongside MAT standard implementation and UK-wide guidelines, will help to ensure that high-quality treatment options, for those affected by addiction, will be met for years to come.
In addition, a comprehensive range of initiatives to improve alcohol and drug outcomes for people is set out in our National Mission, including investment in prevention and early intervention, improved treatment services and long-term recovery support for problematic alcohol and drug use. Investment in residential rehabilitation has increased the number of spaces for people, both now and in the future, and our work on tackling stigma aims to fundamentally break down barriers for those seeking support.
To ensure that our future strategic plans are evidence-based, they will be informed by the National Mission evaluation, with the final publication expected in 2026. In accordance with democratic processes, any future strategic plans will also take into account the outcomes of the 2026 Scottish election.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 July 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 31 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, how it will ensure transparency and accountability in the reporting of residential rehabilitation treatment lengths once the data infrastructure is in place.
Answer
We have responded to calls for more transparency and accountability by commissioning Public Health Scotland to carry out an independent evaluation of the Residential Rehabilitation programme as part of the wider evaluation of the National Mission.
By collecting and publishing robust data, we will be able to increase the evidence base that will help us to best direct financial resource. This improved understanding means that more people will be able to access the treatment type that is right for them at the right time.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 31 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, what funding and support mechanisms are being implemented to facilitate longer residential rehabilitation programmes, and how those are prioritised across different regions.
Answer
The Residential Rehabilitation Development Working Group defines residential rehab as facilities offering programmes which aim to support individuals to attain an alcohol or drug-free lifestyle and to be re-integrated into society, provide intensive psychosocial support and a structured programme of daily activities, and which residents are required to attend over a fixed period of time.
The Scottish Government recognises that diversity of treatment options is important to empower individuals to have more choice and to meet the needs of individuals seeking different types of recovery, and this includes taking a person-centred approach to the duration of treatment.
We commissioned The Gate Worldwide to develop and launch a National Directory of Residential Rehab providers. This directory will be announced soon and will include details on standard programme lengths for each provider listed.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 31 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, whether it can provide information on the long-term outcomes for patients who undergo residential rehabilitation treatments, and how treatment length correlates with those outcomes.
Answer
The Scottish Government Residential Rehabilitation Literature Review published 30 May 2022 showed that demonstrating the association between residential rehabilitation and specific outcomes is complicated by the widely varied nature of provision in terms of programme length, treatment philosophy, the provision of throughcare (including preparatory work and aftercare) and quality.
The length of residential rehabilitation treatments varies substantially. This data on individual placements is not currently collated centrally. The Scottish Government have commissioned PHS to establish the necessary data infrastructure to monitor residential rehab in Scotland, and we expect that early extracts to be published in December 2024.
As the dataset continues to develop and becomes more mature, a greater level of insight and data will be available for publication, including treatment length and associated outcomes.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 31 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, what immediate measures it is taking to improve the current (a) monitoring and (b) evaluation of residential rehabilitation treatments.
Answer
To better inform our understanding of residential rehabilitation, we commissioned Public Health Scotland to carry out an evaluation of the Residential Rehabilitation programme, covering the first two years of the National Mission, which will support the development of consistent, evidence-based policy.
By collecting and reviewing robust data, we will be able to increase the evidence base that will help us to best direct financial resource. This improved understanding means that more people will be able to access the treatment type that is right for them at the right time.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 31 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, how it ensures that the length of residential rehabilitation treatments in Scotland meets or exceeds best practice guidelines and standards, when compared with other countries.
Answer
The Residential Rehabilitation Development Working Group defines residential rehab as facilities offering programmes which aim to support individuals to attain an alcohol or drug-free lifestyle and to be re-integrated into society, provide intensive psychosocial support and a structured programme of daily activities, and which residents are required to attend over a fixed period of time.
The Scottish Government recognises that diversity of treatment options is important to empower individuals to have more choice and to meet the needs of individuals seeking different types of recovery, and this includes taking a person-centred approach to the duration of treatment.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 July 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 31 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a detailed breakdown of (a) how
its stated record investment in Alcohol and Drug Partnerships has been used and
(b) the outcomes that have resulted from this funding.
Answer
A breakdown of how funding is allocated to ADPs since 2017 can be found on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/alcohol-and-drug-partnerships-funding-allocations/
This shows a breakdown in funding for each ADP across several policy areas including: MAT Standards, Stabilisation, Residential Rehab, and Whole Family Approach.
The ADP Annual Survey evidences activity of ADPs in alignment to National Mission outcomes. The last survey, covering 2022-2023, was published in September 2023 and can be found on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/alcohol-drug-partnerships-adp-2022-23-annual-survey/
The upcoming report, covering 2023-2024, is due to be published in Autumn 2024.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 July 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 31 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, what action it will take if any significant discrepancies are found in the lengths of residential rehabilitation treatments across different regions or facilities.
Answer
The Residential Rehabilitation Development Working Group defines residential rehab as facilities offering programmes which aim to support individuals to attain an alcohol or drug-free lifestyle and to be re-integrated into society, provide intensive psychosocial support and a structured programme of daily activities, and which residents are required to attend over a fixed period of time.
The Scottish Government recognises that diversity of treatment options is important to empower individuals to have more choice and to meet the needs of individuals seeking different types of recovery, and this includes taking a person-centred approach to treatment length.
