Question reference: S6W-10130
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 2 August 2022
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Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 30 August 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have used the Never Use Alone phone line, run by the charity We Are With You, since its launch, and, of those, how many have been referred to (a) drug treatment services and (b) other forms of support.
Answer
From November 2021 to 1 July 2022, and from the 3 areas used in the initial pilot (Glasgow and North and South Ayrshire), there have been:
•102 calls to the line in total - 38 were outside opening hours, 24 chose to hang up before speaking with an advisor.
•40 calls were answered
•23 of these calls resulted in a supervised consumption, (70% injected or smoked heroin, 20% injected or smoked cocaine).
•None of the calls required the intervention of emergency services
Everyone who accessed the service was offered a link to drug treatment services. All of those who used the supervised consumption element of the phone line were already engaged with drug treatment services.
Everyone who called the service was offered postal naloxone and injecting equipment provision (IEP). Postal naloxone was requested by 8% of people who called the phone line and this was provided in every case.
Referrals were also made to: mental health support (3%); homelessness/housing support (3%); other support (13%). Foodbank information was also supplied to 10% of callers .