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Scotland drugs and alcohol treatment failing
Three times more money spent on drug abuse than alcoholism, despite nearly 5% of Scottish adults being dependent on alcohol, say auditors
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Health agencies and councils are failing to effectively tackle Scotland's worsening problems with alcohol and drug abuse, an investigation by Audit Scotland has found.
Its inquiry in the extent of drug and alcohol abuse estimates that misuse and addiction cost wider society at least £5bn a year in crime, hospital costs and days off work, and claimed nearly 1,900 lives last year.

But it said there was a significant doubts about the effectiveness of the £179m a year spent on tackling abuse across Scotland, with only 6% going to preventative programmes. Crucially, there was also a significant imbalance in the sums spent on alcohol and drugs programmes last year.

Audit Scotland said that drinking-related illnesses claimed 1,399 lives last year, compared with 455 deaths from drugs abuse.

Yet three times more money – £77m compared to £26m – was spent on treating drug addicts than alcoholics, even though nearly 5% of Scottish adults were alcohol-dependent compared with 1.8% using drugs such as heroin.

Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish health secretary, said these findings were outdated and had been overtaken by new policies. Ministers were already addressing the "historical imbalance" in spending on alcohol by increasing funds on alcohol abuse services by 230%.

These findings have fuelled political disputes over the Scottish government's alcohol control and drugs treatment policies, particularly controversial proposals by ministers for legally-set minimum prices for alcoholic drinks.

The SNP government has made tackling alcohol abuse central to its health strategy, and is pressing opposition parties to support its proposals.
There are signs Labour may back some proposals, including bans on heavy discounting by retailers, but has already denounced fixing minimum prices as draconian and unnecessary.

The Tories were quick to attack the "utter failure" of the previous Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition government to tackle the problem after Robert Black, the auditor general and head of Audit Scotland, questioned the current anti-abuse programmes.

The agency said many different organisations were involved in treatment projects, while funding for them was often complex. It was difficult to provide the right services, while spending decisions were not always based on any evidence of what worked or was needed.

While some local projects were clearly effective, there was a significant lack of accurate information about their outcomes at a national level, and a failure to provide consistent services.

"Drug and alcohol misuse is a significant and worsening problem in Scotland," Black said. "The range of services for people in need of help can depend on where they live, and there is not enough information about the effectiveness of these services.

"A coordinated effort is needed by all agencies involved to make sure people get the support and treatment they need and also to really find out which services work best in which circumstances."

John Baillie, chairman of the Accounts Commission for Scotland, confirmed Black's misgivings. "Tackling drug and alcohol misuse accounts for large amounts of public money," he said. "It is very important that councils and their partners have a good understanding of what services they need to deliver and of the cost and impact of these."

The Scottish government was quick to contest Black's criticisms of spending levels, and said it was studying proposals to restructure services. Under the current three-year spending programme, alcohol treatment spending was up to £120m, while drugs treatment had increased by 14% to £94m, official said.

"We recognise that historically there has been an imbalance in the spend between alcohol and drug services, and that's what we're currently correcting," Sturgeon told BBC Radio Scotland this morning.

However, Annabel Goldie, the Scottish Tory leader and a champion of increased spending on drugs and alcohol treatment, said: "We suspected there was chaos in how funding streams were directed towards addressing addiction. The horrific truth has now been exposed and I am shocked at the sheer scale of the drugs and alcohol problem in Scotland."

http://www.guardian.co.uk
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