Drug and alcohol services - Podcast transcript
What’s this report about?
In this report we looked at how much the public sector in Scotland spends on directly ‘labelled’ drug and alcohol services, including prevention, treatment and enforcement services.  We assessed whether evidence of what is needed or what works determines how this money is spent, and also what impact this money has had.  
What have you found?
We found a number of things:
Scotland has a significant problem with drugs and alcohol compared to the rest of the UK and Europe, and the number of drug and alcohol-related deaths have doubled in the last 15 years.
Last year the public sector in Scotland spent £173 million on drug and alcohol services but that the wider costs to society of drug and alcohol misuse are estimated at £5 billion a year.  
We also found that the way drug and alcohol services are funded is complex, making it difficult to plan and deliver services.  The separate roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in delivering drug and alcohol services – who is responsible for doing what - is not clear.
Although we found some evidence of good practice, spending decisions are not always based on evidence of what works or is needed locally and the impact these services have is not always known.  There is variation in the range and accessibility of drug and alcohol services across the country - there are no national minimum standards for what type of service someone should get or how quickly they should get help.

What is the impact on or importance to the public; is it a small group of people with a problem or is it wider than that?

The impact of drug and alcohol misuse is felt across the country, not just by the individuals with problems but also by their families, their local communities and wider society.  The impact is felt not just in terms of deaths, but also crime, community safety and employment.
It is estimated that drug and alcohol misuse cost the country £5 billion a year.  This includes costs to the health service, costs to the police, prison and courts and the costs to the wider economy in terms of lost working days and unemployment.  
What do you want to see happen as a result of your report?
Given the scale of the problem in Scotland, and the range of agencies and partnerships involved, we want to see clarity about the roles and responsibilities.
We also want the Scottish Government to be clearer about what services should be provided and how quickly people can expect to access these.  We also want agencies to better understand what difference the money they spend on drug and alcohol misuse is making.