The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Patel urged to attend summit on drugs crisis in Scotland
HEALTH: Scottish Government to host meeting as drugs deaths reach record high
Scotland’s public health minister Joe FitzPatrick has again urged Home Secretary Priti Patel to attend a summit investigating Scotland’s drugs crisis.
The SNP MSP for Dundee City West said reducing the number of drugs deaths should be a priority for both the UK and Scottish governments.
And he expressed his frustration that previous requests asking for Ms Patel to attend next month’s summit have been ignored.
Earlier this week, a Home Office spokesman said she would consider the findings of Dundee Drugs Commission’s report into drug-related fatalities in the city before deciding whether or not to attend the summit.
There were 1,187 drug-related deaths in Scotland last year, 66 of them in Dundee.
In a letter to Ms Patel, Mr FitzPatrick writes: “I consider that the matter of drug deaths should be a priority for both our governments.
“I hope you can commit to attending a summit on this subject in Glasgow which we plan to host in the near future.
“Our aim is to bring together a range of expertise to help shape the next steps that can be taken to reduce harm and save lives.”
Mr FitzPatrick wrote to Ms Patel on August 1 following the release of Scotland’s worst ever drug death figures to urge her to take part in crunch talks.
He wrote on the same day to UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Scottish Secretary Alister Jack to request an “urgent meeting with UK Government ministers to discuss how we can work together to stop the increasing number of drug deaths”.
The summit is likely to take into account the findings of the Dundee Drugs Commission’s report into services in the city.
It found drugs services in Dundee were “fractured” and had been allowed to run with little oversight.
The Scottish Government summit is also expected to be attended by local authorities and the chairwoman of Scotland’s Drugs Death Taskforce, Professor Catriona Matheson.