Scotland's addiction treatment 'too slow'

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by Change | 1 Apr 2009

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Treatment for drug addicts in Scotland is too slow, according to a new study, with assessments taking far too long before addicts are offered the help they need.

Drug addicts in Scotland are waiting far too long to be assessed and given the treatment they need, according to newly-published official figures.

The statistics reveal over a quarter of drug addicts have been waiting more than a year to be assessed, before a care plan and treatment programme are put in place.

However, even where addicts have been assessed, the figures show that hundreds have to wait over a year before addiction treatment actually begins.

"Access to effective treatment and rehabilitation is critical to the goal of recovery from drug misuse and efforts must be made to improve it," a spokesman for the Scottish government told the BBC.

He claimed the figures represent a ten per cent improvement on waiting times for referral to assessment compared with the previous quarter.

Scotland has been attempting to tackle its alcohol addiction epidemic, which is said to cost the country's economy £5 billion annually.

Health minister Nicola Sturgeon has introduced proposals to place minimum prices on alcoholic drinks in an effort to tackle binge drinkers and reduce the availability of cheap alcohol.

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