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Alcohol aid services face reform Alcohol and drug shake-up agreed
(about 4 hours later)
Reforms of the services used to tackle alcohol and drug misuse in Scotland are to be unveiled. A shake-up of alcohol and drug treatment services has been agreed in a move aimed at improving addicts' lives.
A framework agreement between the Scottish Government, the NHS and local authorities is to be signed at a conference in Edinburgh. The Scottish Government, the NHS and Cosla signed up to the changes which will see alcohol and drug partnerships in all 32 council areas.
Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing is expected to confirm the existing model of alcohol and drug action teams will be replaced by new partnerships. Minister for Community Safety Fergus Ewing outlined the plan during a conference in Edinburgh.
An Audit Scotland report called for better co-ordination between agencies. The move comes a month after a critical review of some services by Audit Scotland.
The conference is taking place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. The auditors said alcohol and drug misuse costs Scotland £2.25bn a year.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "The Audit Scotland review lays bare the damaging legacy which drug and alcohol misuse have had on our communities. The SNP administration has already announced it will spend £120m over three years to try to tackle alcohol misuse.
"These problems, built up over a period of many years, won't be resolved overnight but we are getting to grips with the situation now with our National Drugs Strategy and Alcohol Framework. The cost in terms of human misery is incalculable Fergus EwingMinister for Community Safety
"What is required is a united approach throughout the public services, within communities and across the parliament." Mr Ewing said: "The publication of this new framework does represent a watershed, it represents a significant change in the way that alcohol and drug misuse will be tackled locally.
"It will clarify roles and responsibilities and I hope that we can come together and work more effectively in partnership to provide the best chance for those struggling with addiction to recover from it and live a full and rewarding life."
He told delegates at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre that a commission will oversee the implementation of the national drugs strategy.
A charitable trust, the Scottish Drugs Recovery Consortium, will be established to promote and assist the focus on recovery.
Investment in services was "money well spent", Mr Ewing said.
He said every £1 for treatment saved 95p for the public purse.
"The cost in terms of human misery is incalculable," Mr Ewing told the conference.
He added that the latest announcement would help deliver all the existing strategies.
"We have the strategy in place, and we have addressed the funding issues," he added.