Now more addicts will be given free heroin on the NHS
A CONTROVERSIAL scheme that gives addicts free heroin on the NHS is to be expanded.
Scotland’s first centre offering ‘heroin-assisted treatment’ opened in Glasgow four months ago, offering two doses of the drug a day.
Now the doctor behind the initiative has hailed it a success and pledged to increase four-fold the number of addicts being treated.
The move could mean the health service hands out up to £200,000 worth of medical-grade heroin to addicts every year.
The proposal was drawn up before the coronavirus crisis and health chiefs have yet to decide what impact the pandemic will have on the possible expansion of the free drug trial.
Dr Saket Priyadarshi, associate medical director, addiction services, at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGCC), said that while a formal evaluation of the centre has yet to be carried out, he believes the early indications are that the heroin scheme is working.
He said: ‘From a clinician’s dayto-day perspective, myself and the team feel that many of the early number of patients are really showing huge signs of improvement.’
The centre has nine patients receiving free heroin, but Dr Priyadarshi said he wants to grow the number to 20 by the end of the year – and later expand even further.
He said: ‘We are hoping that once the service is up and running fully – which will take us a couple of years – that we will have up to 40 people coming in at a time.’
The heroin assisted treatment (HAT) scheme was set up to tackle Glasgow’s ongoing drug problem.
The city has around 13,600 problem users, costing NHSGGC more than £29 million in 2018.
Drug-related deaths in Scotland soared to 1,187 in 2018 – a record level and the highest reported rate per head of population in the EU.
Similar HAT centres are well established in Germany. In Dusseldorf, addicts queue for their fix. Many have been hooked for years.
The Glasgow HAT centre is funded by a health and social care partnership between NHSGGC and Glasgow City Council.
However, the scheme has been criticised for feeding addiction rather than directly tackling it.
Scottish Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘Scotland has the highest drug deaths in Europe and it’s clear we will need to use a range of interventions to help problem drug users deal with their dependency issues. However, this approach would seem to be yet another way to maintain addiction.’
But Dr Priyadarshi argued there was a ‘significant cost benefit’ to the centre, adding: ‘Bringing drug deaths down – that’s the human cost. Our main case is based on reducing harm to people who are most vulnerable to drug deaths and other drug-related harm and help them enter the road to recovery. But there are wider societal benefits.’
Yesterday, NHSGGC said that the treatment programme had been temporarily suspended because of the coronavirus crisis.
Patients are currently being treated with the drug substitute methadone instead. HAT services will resume as soon as possible.