National Mission on Drugs: annual report

Foreword by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

Since taking office as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in May 2024, I have been struck by the passion, time and commitment which has already driven so much progress on the National Mission. I have seen how the programmes of work underway are making a significant positive difference to the treatment for people with drug and alcohol problems.

The breadth and diversity of the programme of work, along with the scale of the achievement made to date, is brought to life in this report. From stepping up the emergency response and harm reduction interventions, with 23,020 take home naloxone kits issued between April and December 2023, to the improvement of treatment with the continued implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards, with 90% of MAT 1-5 being assessed as fully implemented as of April 2024. And more people than ever being supported to access residential rehabilitation, with 938 statutory-funded placements approved in the 2023-24 financial year^[1], a near 75% increase from 2021-22.

2023-24 also saw a renewed focus on taking a whole-systems approach following the publication of our Cross-Government Response to the Drug Deaths Taskforce in January 2023. The commitments set out in that document demonstrate where we need to work together in meeting the holistic needs of those affected by drugs and alcohol. This collaborative effort is now well underway.

A central theme of this report is our human rights-based approach, which places the voices of people with lived and living experience at the heart of our work. This approach underpinned our call to change the UK legal framework to enable a flexible and appropriate public health response to the drug deaths crisis, and is central to the efforts of our National Collaborative, who published their draft Charter in December 2023.

The National Mission is a truly collaborative effort, involving numerous partners involved in delivery at both the local and national level. This report acknowledges the vital work so many partners and organisations deliver to support those in need of help, most especially those working in frontline services.

Despite our significant achievements, there is much still to do. The human cost of problem substance use remains deeply concerning, and drug death figures for 2023 show that drug deaths in Scotland remain very high. The urgency of this work to tackle the drug death crisis in Scotland, therefore remains absolutely paramount.

Far too many of our loved ones are losing their lives to drugs, and threats posed by synthetic drugs pose a new challenge that we must address. My unwavering commitment remains with the families, friends and communities affected by drugs. We will continue build on our progress, striving to reduce deaths and improve the lives of those impacted.

Neil Gray MSP

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care