We’ll treat every drug death like the death of a child
Drugs minister’s pledge
SCOTLAND’S drugs minister has pledged to treat each overdose fatality with the same priority as the death of a child.
Angela Constance made the vow as she faced accusations of slowness in the delivery of the National Mission to turn around our disgraceful drug deaths record.
The drugs policy minister was also slammed for failing to meet targets for crucial MAT standards, which underpin the strategies for treating addiction.
Constance, who was announcing new measures to increase accountability for drug policies and treatments, defended the Scottish Government’s record.
She said a major report in the summer will lay down, area by area, exactly how services have performed. Constance told parliament: “I am determined that we learn every lesson from every death so that services are improved to better meet the needs of our citizens to the risk of dying. “When a child or a vulnerable adult dies, chief officers for public protection play a key role in ensuring we learn vital lessons from these tragic events. “And I intend to do what is necessary so that the same chief officers take on a new accountability to ensure lessons are learned and changes made from the reviews of all drugrelated deaths. “Therefore, I will be setting clear expectations to ensure consistency and how these reviews are carried out, as well as issuing guidance and training for all those involved.”
Drug death statistics will also be improved with a £580,000 funding package.
Labour’s health spokesperson Claire Baker said the implementation of MAT standards – which include rights for drug users, like sameday prescriptions – have no chance of being rolled out within a year, as the minister had promised.
Baker said: “That gives me no satisfaction to see this commitment is heading for failure.
“So will the minister commit to publishing progress standard by standard, ADP by ADP, to allow for proper scrutiny and accountability?”
Constance said delays were necessary for ensuring quality, adding: “This isn’t a tick box exercise.
“In June, with a report that will look at the national picture, it will also cover an area by area.
“But that will also be followed up by a more in-depth report in the summer, which isn’t just looking at whether a standard has been met or not area by area, but at the criteria for meeting each of those standards area by area.”
Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, who this week announced a private Bill to open Overdose Prevention Centres, said he was “underwhelmed” at Constance’s failure to even mention such facilities in her statement.
Scotland’s drug deaths were at a record 1339 last year – the worst in Europe.
I am determined that we learn from every death ANGELA CONSTANCE ON NEW MEASURES