Question reference: S6W-21517
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 20 September 2023
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Current status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 29 September 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a paper on improving operational practice to support better health outcomes for people with alcohol problems.
Answer
Alcohol remains a priority for Scottish Government and we are treating our policies to reduce alcohol and drug deaths as twin public health emergencies in Scotland.
This is why we established a National Mission to improve and save lives, at the core of which is ensuring that every individual has access to, and choice in the type of recovery and treatment they need.
We are working to ensure people with alcohol use disorder receive the care and support in the same way that people can access for problematic use of drugs. The forthcoming Alcohol Treatment Guidelines will help ensure support for alcohol treatment, in a similar way to how the Medication-Assisted Treatment Standards ensure this for people impacted by opiates.
Following publication of the UK-wide guidelines it is our intention to draft a paper on specific alcohol treatment standards for Scotland.
Through our National Mission we are investing in residential rehabilitation that will benefit people experiencing alcohol and/or drug addiction.