DRUG AND ALCOHOL
DELIVERY BULLETIN
April 2014
Welcome to the April 2014 issue of the Drug and Alcohol
Delivery Bulletin. Updates on recent developments and plans
include:
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Alcohol & Drug Partnership (ADP): Learning Event
Alcohol & Drug Partnership (ADP): Reporting aided by
Alcohol & Drugs Profiles
Drug & Alcohol Treatment Waiting Times
Drug & Alcohol Information System (DAISy) update
Alcohol Brief Intervention (ABI) Delivery in the Wider
Settings
Lloyds Partnership Drugs Initiative (PDI): Understanding
the recovery needs and journeys of children and young
people
East Renfrewshire ADP : Hidden Populations Research
North Ayrshire ADP: Introducing the Harmonised
Framework
South Ayrshire ADP: Upcoming Events – May/June
Engaging Families in Social Work Practice – Event
Family Recovery Conference 2014 – May
Updated Article - 13 May 2014 - National Prisoner
Healthcare Network Substance Misuse Event – June
Alcohol Minimum Unit Pricing
QUERIES ON THE CONTENT OF THIS BULLETIN:
If you have any queries on the content of this bulletin, please
contact alcoholanddrugdelivery@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Latest news relating to alcohol and drug policy in Scotland
Alcohol & Drug Partnership
(ADP) Learning Event: ADP
Reporting/Performance
Framework - 10 June 2014
In response to a request from the ADP
Planning and Reporting Group, an ADP
Learning Event: ‘ADP Reporting –
Performance Framework’ is being held
on 10 June 2014 in Radisson Blu
Hotel, Glasgow.
There are 2 places are available for
each ADP and the event is aimed at
ADP co-ordinators/Lead
Officers/Information officers/those in
your ADP who are responsible for
compiling the performance element in
ADP Plans and Reports.
The event has a peer learning focus,
and includes practical workshops on:

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application of an evidence
informed recovery-focussed
performance framework,
strengthening both the reporting
of local impact and contributing
to the national picture of
effective delivery; and
how to build an effective
performance measurement and
evaluation system, which
includes improved information
and data collection.
You should register for this event on the
form sent to ADPs by Thursday 1 May
2014.
If you would like any further
information about the event please
contact Amanda Adams at
Amanda.adams@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Alcohol & Drug Partnership
(ADP) Reporting aided by
Alcohol and Drugs Profiles
ADPs are required to report their
progress each year in mid-September to
their
local
Community
Planning
Partnerships (CPPs). In the last two
years ISD has provided ADPs with
reports in Excel format summarising the
latest figures available for the agreed list
of core indicators. This year the Scottish
Public Health Observatory (ScotPHO)
Alcohol and Drugs Profiles are taking
over the function of the ADP Core
Indicators’ reports.
All the indicators that were in the 2013
ADP Reports produced by ISD that are
suitable for public viewing are available
in the on-line profiling tool, allowing
easy comparison between local areas in
Scotland. Note that the definitions of the
indicators can differ slightly between the
2013 Reports and the current Profiles,
but the ADP Planning & Reporting
Group supports the move to using the
ScotPHO Profiles with the new
definitions as ADP national indicators.
Some indicators currently shown in the
Profiles are more up-to-date than what
was provided at the time in the 2013
ADP Reports. Where new data is
available, other indicators will be
updated over the next few months. For
these indicators not suitable for
The SSKS website features a ‘Drug and Alcohol Portal’ which can support day-to-day work and
learning by providing a wealth of material covering a variety of topics within the drugs and alcohol
field. You can access the website here: www.ssks.org.uk.
Latest news relating to alcohol and drug policy in Scotland
inclusion in the Profiles and not held by
ISD but sourced externally, links will be
provided to the original publications.
Therefore ADPs will have all information
needed for their reporting at their
fingertips.
the Change Log & Caveats page also
available from the Profiles home page.
The tool allows valid comparison
between local areas in Scotland but
differences should be interpreted in light
of local knowledge.
The initial release of the Alcohol and
Drugs Profiles (published in September
2013) using the new ScotPHO on-line
profiling tool provided information on a
host of indicators relating to alcohol and
drugs, at ADP and NHS Board level.
The Profiles form a key part of an
extensively redesigned, comprehensive
data resource for the alcohol and drugs
field, made available via the ScotPHO
website. The website contains links to
many more data sources that ADPs can
potentially use to evidence any progress
made.
More information on ScotPHO please
contact: Annemarie van Heelsum
(ISD) – a.vanheelsum@nhs.net or
0131 275 7099
Background
The Alcohol and Drugs Profiles are two
of a series of specialist profiles being
published on the ScotPHO site,
covering a range of public health topics,
for example: Smoking and Diabetes.
The On-line Profiling Tool (OPT) is
designed to replace previous paper
reports and Excel-based outputs,
allowing more flexibility for users and
making it easier to keep the information
in the tool up-to-date. They can be
found at www.scotpho.org.uk/profiles.
Some narrative around the indicators is
provided in the Overview Report,
available from the ScotPHO Profiles
website, and more technical detail is
given in the Technical Report. Any
caveats and changes are highlighted in
Drug & Alcohol Treatment Waiting
Times
We are pleased to note sustained
performance at national level for
delivery of the HEAT Standard for drug
and alcohol treatment waiting times,
which expects that 90% of people
receive appropriate treatment within 3
weeks to support their recovery.
The report, published by ISD Scotland
on 25th March, highlights that:
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Thirteen of the 14 Health Boards
continue to meet the HEAT
standard.
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In October-December 2013, 96.3%
of the 11,564 people who started
their first drug or alcohol treatment
had waited 3 weeks or less,
compared to 96.6% in the previous
quarter. For alcohol, 97.2% of
people (7,412 individuals) waited
less than 3 weeks while for drugs the
figure was 94.6% (4,152 individuals).
The SSKS website features a ‘Drug and Alcohol Portal’ which can support day-to-day work and
learning by providing a wealth of material covering a variety of topics within the drugs and alcohol
field. You can access the website here: www.ssks.org.uk.
Latest news relating to alcohol and drug policy in Scotland

In Scottish prisons between October
- December 2013, of the 1,192
people who started their first drug or
alcohol treatment, 97.5% had waited
3 weeks or less (based on returns
from 14 of the 15 prisons).
The full report can be accessed via the
following link:
http://www.isdscotland.org/HealthTopics/Drugs-and-AlcoholMisuse/Publications/.
This continued level of high
performance pays testament to the
efforts of staff working in services
throughout the country. At Scottish
Government level we continue to offer
support to areas to sustain
improvements in ensuring fast access to
quality treatment for those in need. This
work will be supported by the
publication and roll out of a set of
agreed Quality Principles for Standard
Expectations of Care in Drug and
Alcohol Services.
You may already be aware that waiting
times data is included as part of the
ScotPHO drug and alcohol profiles
which we hope is a useful tool to
establish local baselines and assist in
goal setting and benchmarking:
http://www.scotpho.org.uk/comparativehealth/profiles/online-profiles-tool.
Please contact Hilary Smith, Team
Leader: ADP National Support,
Scottish Government
(Hilary.smith@scotland.gsi.gov.uk)
should you wish to discuss in more
detail.
Drug and Alcohol Information
System (DAISy) Update
After a successful consultation period
on the proposed Drug & Alcohol
Information System (DAISy), where
valuable input from stakeholders was
received, the DAISy Project Team have
been leading on several work streams,
featuring membership from a range of
representatives from Alcohol and
Drug Partnerships (ADPs), specialist
stakeholders, and national
organisations, to address the issues
raised.
The first work stream looked at the
comments received around the data
items and developed a draft dataset
which was recently circulated to
stakeholders for final comment. This
group will then consider these final
comments before the dataset is
presented to the DAISy Project Board
for approval.
The Information Governance work
stream recently held its first meeting,
with a remit to consider issues around
collecting client identifiable data as well
as developing necessary information
leaflets for clients and staff.
Further streams will look at reporting,
data definitions and guidance and
training materials.
The SSKS website features a ‘Drug and Alcohol Portal’ which can support day-to-day work and
learning by providing a wealth of material covering a variety of topics within the drugs and alcohol
field. You can access the website here: www.ssks.org.uk.
Latest news relating to alcohol and drug policy in Scotland
A separate piece of work has been
undertaken to review the various data
collection systems currently in use to
ensure that any IT solution that is
chosen for DAISy can appropriately
integrate with these existing systems
and reduce duplication of effort at
service level. The outcome of this
valuable piece of work will feed in to the
Business Case for DAISy and we
expect to be in a position to share the
results of this exercise with stakeholders
towards the end of the summer. At this
point, associated timescales for
implementation of a new DAISy system
will also be outlined.
If you would like further information
on the DAISy project please contact
the Project Manager, Lindsay Mathie
via: lindsay.mathie@nhs.net or 0141
282 2267.
Alcohol Brief Intervention (ABI)
Delivery in the Wider Settings
NHS Health Scotland / University of
Stirling - Process evaluation of
Alcohol Brief Interventions in wider
settings (Young People and Social
Work)
This study focused on the feasibility and
acceptability of ABIs in 10 projects
delivered to young people and in social
work settings between December 2012
and July 2013. It found that it is feasible
and acceptable to deliver ABIs in youth
settings. Young people felt the projects
were welcoming and safe and were
positive about the timing and location of
the projects. Project staff gave similar
responses, emphasizing the importance
of locating the projects where young
people congregate and making them
young person friendly. Organisational
factors also affected the feasibility of the
projects, including staffing consistency
and continuity, staff skill mix, and
organisational funding and stability. The
study also found that data collection
was variable, that it will be difficult to
measure impact and it would be difficult
to evaluate the effectiveness of ABIs in
this setting. The report can be accessed
here:
http://www.healthscotland.com/docu
ments/23021.aspx
For further information please
contact Garth Reid, NHS Health
Scotland: Garth.Reid@nhs.net
Lloyds Partnership Drugs
Initiative (PDI)
Understanding the recovery needs
and journeys of children and young
people
On the 13th March the Partnership
Drugs Initiative (PDI) hosted a
networking event with the aim of
increasing the understanding of the
recovery journeys and needs of children
and young people whose parents are in
recovery from alcohol and other drugs.
The session emerged as the PDI has
recognised the importance of children
and young people also needing the
space and time to recover alongside
The SSKS website features a ‘Drug and Alcohol Portal’ which can support day-to-day work and
learning by providing a wealth of material covering a variety of topics within the drugs and alcohol
field. You can access the website here: www.ssks.org.uk.
Latest news relating to alcohol and drug policy in Scotland
their parent/carer at time that is right for
them.
There was excellent attendance on the
day; practitioners and managers were
represented from both statutory and
voluntary sector groups and included
adult and children’s perspectives.
Inputs were received from Joy Barlow,
strategic advisor of STRADA and Juliet
Harris, Chief Executive of
TogetherScotland. These sessions
were designed to help provide the
background to the evidence base for
recovery needs of children, examples
provided from the mental health field.
And the Children’s Rights perspective,
which is now a central element for all
services in contact with children and
young people with the introduction of
the Children and Young People’s Bill.
The principal outcome of the day was
designed to encourage networking and
share with each other:

What is currently working well
and how to ensure the recovery
needs of children and young
people are being met?

What needs to change or
improve?
connect with the well-being
indicators
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The importance of partnership
approaches
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The role of universal services
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Language that children and young
people understand
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Explaining to children and young
people what is happening and why
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Giving children and young people
the space and support they want and
need
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Recognising that young people may
have their own recovery journey and
the need for support for this
A detailed write up of the session
including the presentations is available
on Lloyds TSB Foundation for
Scotland’s website:
www.ltsbfoundationforscotland.org.u
k.
The PDI currently have an interest in
exploring how to improve the
evidence base for children and
young people. If you are interested
in learning more about this then
please contact Elaine Wilson on 0131
444 4025.
There was a good level of discussion,
some of the main themes emerging:

The importance of GIRFEC (Getting
It Right for Every Child) and how
recovery support needs need to
The SSKS website features a ‘Drug and Alcohol Portal’ which can support day-to-day work and
learning by providing a wealth of material covering a variety of topics within the drugs and alcohol
field. You can access the website here: www.ssks.org.uk.
Latest news relating to alcohol and drug policy in Scotland
particularly in relation children
and social work services
Hidden Populations Research –
East Renfrewshire
The East Renfrewshire ADP has
conducted a qualitative Needs
Assessment to explore the “hidden
population” of problematic drug users in
the local area. The aim of the study was
to determine the experiences and
barriers drug users face when
accessing drug treatment services.
Service users accessing the local
Community Recovery Service were
recruited and trained to work as peer
researchers and interview participants
eligible for the study.
Thirty-one individuals participated.
Twenty-three were receiving treatment,
four were in shared care and four were
not accessing treatment. Four themes
were evident: barriers to accessing
services, positive aspects, negative
aspects and pharmacy experience.

Stigma was evident throughout
discussions, with participants
feeling they were looked down
upon and “2nd class”. They also
reported feelings of stigma when
presenting at treatment or
community services

Several barriers were discussed
with participants perceiving that
there was not enough information
and advertising about drug
treatment services. There were
concerns around confidentiality,

The therapeutic alliance with staff
was a positive element for
participants, however there was a
perception that additional peer
support would be beneficial

Talk around methadone
highlighted that long term use
was a concern. As this was an
older cohort participants were
also concerned around the
additional stigma of being a
methadone user and a
grandparent
Some of the matters raised will be
addressed at a local level however
many of the issues, including stigma
must be tackled by the wider society. An
action plan will be developed by the
local ADP as part of continual
improvements.
For further information please
contact Janice Thomson, East
Renfrewshire ADP:
janice.thomson@eastrenfrewshire.go
v.uk
North Ayrshire ADP – Introducing
the Harmonised Framework
North Ayrshire ADP Workforce
Development Group has produced a
Framework which purpose is to offer a
model harmonising the National
The SSKS website features a ‘Drug and Alcohol Portal’ which can support day-to-day work and
learning by providing a wealth of material covering a variety of topics within the drugs and alcohol
field. You can access the website here: www.ssks.org.uk.
Latest news relating to alcohol and drug policy in Scotland
Framework for Child Protection
Learning and Development in Scotland
and the joint Scottish Government
/COSLA statement on Supporting the
Development of Scotland's Alcohol and
Drug Work Force 2010.
By using this Framework, managers and
practitioners will be able to identify
courses which will promote learning and
provide professional development.
To view the document please click the
link below:
Harmonised Training Framework
For further information please
contact Mark Gallagher, North
Ayrshire ADP: markgallagher@northayrshire.gov.uk
South Ayrshire Alcohol and Drug
Partnership: Upcoming Events –
May/June 2014
workshops focussing on alcohol and
different life stages.
The ADP and RecoveryAyr are
delighted to be hosting their first
‘Celebrating Recovery in South
Ayrshire’ event on Thursday 12th
June. The event is open to anyone who
would like to hear more about our
progress implementing a Recovery
Orientated System of Care and hear
from local projects. Our evening
celebration event will feature a live
performance from ‘Ra Ra Razzmatazz’
and a variety of live music!
For further information or to register
for either event please contact Faye
Murfet, ADP Coordinator:
faye.murfet@south-ayrshire.gov.uk
or visit www.southayrshire.gov.uk/adp
Engaging Families in Social
Work Practice – Event –
Wednesday 14 May 2014
South Ayrshire ADP would like to invite
you to two local events taking place in
May and June.
Conversations about substance use:
engaging families in social work
practice
The ADP are hosting their second
annual Whole Population Approach to
Alcohol Event, this year focussing on
Women and Alcohol. Guest speakers
include Professor Moira Plant, Dr
Deborah Shipton and Dr Pete
Seaman. Participants will also have the
opportunity to take part in a variety of
This event is for social work
professionals who wish to develop their
communication skills – particularly in
relation to substance use and
safeguarding issues.
Services for Women
It is an interactive, hands on, seminar
run by Rhoda Emlyn-Jones who has a
wealth of experience working within
The SSKS website features a ‘Drug and Alcohol Portal’ which can support day-to-day work and
learning by providing a wealth of material covering a variety of topics within the drugs and alcohol
field. You can access the website here: www.ssks.org.uk.
Latest news relating to alcohol and drug policy in Scotland
safeguarding contexts, including
managing children’s services and
specialist family substance use services
and leading the roll out of Intensive
Family Support Services across Wales.
by substance misuse. You can book
your place to attend on Friday 30th May
2014 by filling out the attached
registration form or registering directly
on Scottish Families’ website:
Places are limited to 30 people due to
the interactive nature of the seminar
which will include pair work, role play,
small group and large group discussion.
http://www.sfad.org.uk/mediacentre/conference.
To book a place, please email
c.stark@basw.co.uk telephone 0131
221 9445 or book online at
www.basw.co.uk/event/?id=256
Registration Form:
Costs including lunch are: BASW
Members: £25, Students: £20, NonBASW Members: £35*
Please contact Michelle Young for
further information:
info@sfad.org.uk
Wednesday 14 May 2014 10.00am3.30pm Scottish Youth Theatre @
The Old Sheriff Court 105 Brunswick
Street, Glasgow G1 1TF.
Family Recovery Conference 2014
– Friday 30 May
Scottish Families invites you to attend
Family Recovery 2014, a conference
sponsored by Aberdeen City ADP
offering International and Scottish
perspective on family recovery.
Keynote speakers include Professor
Richard Velleman, a leading authority
on substance misuse focusing on the
impact on families and children, and Dr
Jan Ligon from Georgia State
University, presenting on reaching,
engaging and helping families affected
National Prisoner Healthcare
Network Substance Misuse Event
– Thursday 26 June
The National Prisoner Healthcare
Network is holding a Substance Misuse
Event on the 26th June. The day will
provide a national overview of
innovation and progress for prison
health services for drug, alcohol and
tobacco use following the transfer of
healthcare to the NHS in November
2011. We will share the successes and
challenges of practice emphasising
asset-based approaches, co-production
and user voices. The emphasis at this
interactive day will be on listening,
learning, and exploring solutions
together. Content includes;
The SSKS website features a ‘Drug and Alcohol Portal’ which can support day-to-day work and
learning by providing a wealth of material covering a variety of topics within the drugs and alcohol
field. You can access the website here: www.ssks.org.uk.
Latest news relating to alcohol and drug policy in Scotland
Taking stock of the journey so far,
learning and moving forward together
What does the data and evidence tell
us on need, delivery and impact?
Frontline experiences in tackling harm
through alcohol, drugs and tobacco
Driving improvement through delivery,
sharing pathways and building peer
support.
For enquiries in the meantime, please
contact: nhs.healthscotlandalcoholanddrugs@nhs.net
Alcohol Minimum Unit Pricing
Court delivers opinion on “precedentsetting” case
The case to implement a minimum unit
price of alcohol in Scotland is to be
referred to the Court of Justice of the
European Union (CJEU), it was
announced on the 30th April 2014.
Following the Outer House hearing in
the Court of Session last January, Lord
Doherty’s judgement in May 2013
provided overwhelming support to the
Scottish Government policy of minimum
unit pricing.
Lord Doherty held that none of the
petitioners’ challenges to the minimum
unit pricing measures were well founded
and that there was no proper basis for
the petitioners being granted any of the
remedies which they sought.
The Scotch Whisky Association’s
grounds of appeal to the Inner House of
the Court of Session were that Lord
Doherty erred in several aspects. The
appeal hearing focused on what the aim
of minimum unit pricing is, whether this
aim could be achieved using alcohol
excise duties which would be less
distortive to the free movement of goods
(article 34 of TFEU) and whether the
policy was proportionate to protect
public health and therefore justifiable
under article 36 of TFEU.
It is likely to take over a year to receive
a determination from the Court of
Justice of the European Union. In 2012
the average length of preliminary
reference proceedings from the date of
the reference to the date of the
judgement was 15.7 months.
A determination in a preliminary
reference by the CJEU is not a final
judgement. The determination will go
back to the domestic court which would
then decide the case in the light of the
CJEU’s ruling.
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The SSKS website features a ‘Drug and Alcohol Portal’ which can support day-to-day work and
learning by providing a wealth of material covering a variety of topics within the drugs and alcohol
field. You can access the website here: www.ssks.org.uk.