Elaine’s Ascot fundraiser is big winner
AN ASCOT-THEMED fundraiser hosted by Elaine C Smith raised £35,000 for a respite breaks centre.
The event was held at Leuchie House, near North Berwick, in East Lothian.
Almost 200 guests took part in a silent auction and enjoyed entertainment.
Comic and actress Elaine read from her Glaswegian version of The Gruffalo and donated book sales to Leuchie House. She also sang for the crowd.
Lana Bambridge, the charity’s fundraising manager, said: “Not only did Elaine have the audience roaring with laughter, she left no stone unturned in making sure everyone had a great time.”
Leuchie House provide holidays for people suffering from conditions including multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s and spinal injuries. HEROIN addict prisoners take drugs smuggled into jail so they get put on methadone quicker, it’s been revealed.
Remand prisoners who are hooked on heroin face a wait of up to six weeks to get on to methadone after they are arrive at Saughton jail in Edinburgh.
Scotland’s top prison inspector David Strang found the system may “encourage” inmates to take illegal drugs in jail so they can be put on the heroin substitute treatment programme sooner.
Around 250 of 900 cons in Saughton are receiving opiate replacement therapy – methadone – or detoxification.
Remand inmates, who are held awaiting trial or other court appearances, are assessed for suitability for a methadone script when they arrive.
They need to go through a 12-day detox, followed by two weeks of drug testing.
The HM Inspector of Prisons for Scotland added: “If the tests are clean they won’t get put on methadone at that point. If they want to be on a programme, they have to take an illegal substance. That’s a problem.”
Strang’s report found it could take up to six weeks to get a remand inmate on methadone.
He added: “In the community, the standards are to get people on methadone very promptly.
“The prison need to look again to make sure their process is right.
“It’s easier to provide such services for prisoners on a set sentence. Those on remand are often in poorer health and you don’t know how long they’ll be with you.”
Strang was also concerned that addicted remand prisoners who are not offered methadone would see their drug tolerance levels go down, putting them at risk of fatal overdoses when they leave.
He said: “Statistics show the first two or three days after release is the time when people are really vulnerable to drug-related deaths.”
Strang, who inspected the jail in March, concluded that, overall, it was a safe environment.
But he highlighted several areas that need to be improved. ALMOST a third of inmates in a study tested positive for illegal drugs when they left prison.
The statistics, published by the Scottish Public Health Observatory, found 30 per cent of 633 people tested over a Poor hygiene and infection control was identified in the health centre. These have since been addressed.
The study gave high marks to the testing of prisoners for drugs and alcohol, finding their facility “excellent” and the staff month last year had drugs in their system. In Addiewell jail, West Lothian, the proportion was more than half. Heroin substitute buprenorphine was most common.
The data also showed that well-trained and motivated. Across 10 categories, including safety, health services and transitioning inmates back into the community, Strang gave Saughton five “satisfactory” and five “generally acceptable” ratings.
Prison governor Gerry Michie three-quarters of the 1026 people arriving in jail over the month were on drugs.
The Scottish Prison Service said there were “robust security measures” to prevent drugs getting into jails. said: “There was a lot of recognition for the good work done by staff.
“While there is probably a delay on the longer-term issue of getting people on methadone, through initial screenings and contacting their GPs, we try to stabilise prisoners as quickly as possible. Everything is done to ensure their personal safety.”
NHS workers at the jail provide methadone treatment facilities.
Professor Alex McMahon, nursing director with NHS Lothian, said: “The report highlighted some areas for improvement which we are currently addressing.”