Drug treatment waiting times meet national target

Drug and alcohol treatment waiting times have met the national target set by the Scottish Government, figures show.

Public Health Scotland data shows that in the quarter to March 31, 7,622 people were referred to treatment services.

Of those, 7,007 received their first treatment within three weeks – equivalent to 91.9%.

That was an increase from the previous quarter, when the figure was 90.6%.

The Scottish Government target is for first treatment to take place within three weeks in 90% of cases.

Despite meeting the standard nationally, five health boards missed the target – Highland, Lothian, Forth Valley, the Western Isles and Orkney.

Drugs minister Christina McKelvie said: “The waiting times standard was met nationally, with the majority of health boards attaining or exceeding it.

“We will continue to engage with Alcohol and Drug Partnerships that did not achieve the standard to drive up performance and support substance users.

“My focus is on taking action to save and improve lives now as part of our £250 million national mission.”

Of the referrals, the majority (51.2%) was for alcohol use, while 36.3% was for drugs and 12.5% was as a result of co-dependency.