Angela Constance warns of 'drugs death crisis' all over Scotland
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Drugs policy minister Angela Constance has warned that “we have a drugs death crisis in every part of Scotland” on a visit to an Inverness rehabilitation centre today.
She was attending CrossReach’s Beechwood site after it was awarded £2.4million from the Scottish Government to expand its residential rehabilitation capacity by around 50 per cent.
That increase in its annual service capacity means that CrossReach can start providing support not just to the Highlands but the surrounding areas of Moray and the Western and Northern Isles.
Beechwood House has been operating since 2002 and has established effective links with Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships and mental health colleagues across the country.
Ms Constance was very clear that all Scottish politicians should engage with the “national mission” to curb what she said amounts to “a drugs death crisis in every part of Scotland.”
“We have to recognise that we have a drugs death crisis in every part of Scotland and some of the areas in Scotland that have a lower rate of loss of life is, actually, still higher than in other parts of the UK.,” she said.
“So it is a bit of a myth to say or to suggest that this is an urban or central belt problem and undoubtedly the situation is more acute in our big cities but we have a crisis in every part of Scotland – this is a national crisis.
“So part of my responsibility is to ensure that we and we are investing in every part of Scotland, every part of Scotland has had additional resources and uplift to help locally.”
That is where CrossReach comes in with the planned expansion to its annual capacity to deliver much more residential support.
Ms Constance said: “It is always an immense privilege to visit services and services like Crossreach here in Inverness, have a proven track record.
“I've had the opportunity to speak to people who are currently in the program and who have benefited from the program and who have succeeded in turning their lives around.”
“As part of our national mission to save and improve lives impacted by drugs, at the very core of that is about ensuring that we can get people into the treatment and support that is right for them and investing in and expanding residential rehabilitation is part of that.”
Viv Dickenson, the CEO CrossReach said news of the £2.4 million funding boost allowing for the increase in capacity.
“We know from people who have already been through our services that coming into residential rehabilitation can be the first step on that all important journey of recovery,” she said.
“This investment will not only save lives, it will give people who have struggled with drug or alcohol use a chance to rebuild their lives and look forward to the future with hope.”
Adult Care Director at CrossReach Vic Walker said: “This investment will help to reduce the time people are waiting to get the support they need. When people come forward for help it is vital that we respond quickly.
“Residential rehabilitation can make a huge difference for a person struggling with alcohol or drug use, for their families and for communities.”
