From the NHS Scotland Information Services Division yesterday:
The Scottish Government set a standard that 90% of people referred for help with their drug or alcohol problem will wait no longer than three weeks for treatment that supports their recovery.
The quarterly trend for Scotland as a whole over the past three years shows little change in target-busting performance.
Of the 10,325 people who started their first treatment in the most recent quarter, 93.2% waited three weeks or less.
For the 5,758 people seeking alcohol treatment, 93.0% waited three weeks or less.
For the 4,567 people seeking drug treatment, 93.3% waited three weeks or less.
Reporting Scotland were not available for comment, but someone called Winters (?) was heard to mutter: ‘Yeh, yeh, no one’s interested in that SNP propaganda.’
Meanwhile in Wales people are having to wait for long times for treatment.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/sep/22/too-late-save-her-swansea-drug-death-epidemic-wales
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and, on the subject of measures to tackle alcohol problems, I see the BBC’s headline manages to trivialise the encouraging report on minimum pricing. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-49831575 Only well down the text is the real finding, that the biggest reductions in consumption have been in the precise target groups and sectors; heaviest drinkers and low cost ciders and spirits
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