Tag: alcohol

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Could there be a simple positive reason for the reduction in the number of people accessing specialist alcohol and drugs treatment in Scotland – years of success in treatment programmes and Scot Gov success in initiatives on minimum pricing and opioid reversal kits?

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Professor John Robertson OBA, former opioid painkiller addict and ‘steady drinker‘ to this day From Public Health Scotland today: In Phase One of this investigation PHS conducted internal exploratory analysis to validate and describe changes in the numbers and characteristics of people accessing Tier 3 and 4 services between 2011/12 and 2021/22, using data from the Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy) and its predecessor, the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Waiting Times (DATWT) database. In Phase Two of this investigation, Public Health Scotland presents a national-level examination of the same data sources. This quantitative analysis presents national data shared with … Continue reading Could there be a simple positive reason for the reduction in the number of people accessing specialist alcohol and drugs treatment in Scotland – years of success in treatment programmes and Scot Gov success in initiatives on minimum pricing and opioid reversal kits?

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When all drug deaths are counted Scotland’s rate is falling fast toward the increasing rate in England and Wales and is already lower for males than in the north-east of England

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Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA I know we’ve covered this before, including by reader JB, but I think we need something more short, direct and easy to grasp. If we accept the published data, there remains a significant gap with drug misuse deaths in Scotland still around twice the level in England and Wales, on average, but the rates are converging fast as they fall in Scotland but climb in England and Wales. We may … Continue reading When all drug deaths are counted Scotland’s rate is falling fast toward the increasing rate in England and Wales and is already lower for males than in the north-east of England

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Researchers predict more than TWICE as many BBC Scotland staff than prisoners took drugs on Christmas Day

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From BBC Scotland today: Prisoners hospitalised after Christmas drug misuse – Five prisoners were taken to hospital on Christmas Day following widespread drug misuse at a Scottish prison. A total of 35 inmates at HMP Glenochil in Clackmannanshire were identified as being under the influence of drugs on 25 December, with five taken to hospital for treatment. Not in the BBC report: There are 670 prisoners in Glenochil, so less than 1% were hospitalised and 5% had taken ‘drugs’. In the quarter ending September 2024, 94.7% of the 357 prisoners referred for drug abuse problems were treated by NHS Scotland … Continue reading Researchers predict more than TWICE as many BBC Scotland staff than prisoners took drugs on Christmas Day

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Will this Labour MP praise her local hospitals as they treat 99% of drug and alcohol patients well within the target time?

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By Professor John Robertson OBA As we try to settle our stomachs after the recent Jackie Baillie/ Herald/ BBC Scotland attack on a Clydebank hospital, it occurred to me that my new local MP is very quiet. Her office is largely ignoring constituent enquiries so the above hope is no doubt in vain. In October 2024, Jackie Baillie, in the Scotsman, ‘accused [SNP] ministers of failing to get a grip on the crisis‘ on drug deaths. Would 99% of drug abuse patients being seen in the target time of 3 weeks do for a grip? Would the MP for Ayr, Carrick and … Continue reading Will this Labour MP praise her local hospitals as they treat 99% of drug and alcohol patients well within the target time?

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Unreported since – Drug treatment in Scotland target smashed for 14th time in a row as 94% of drug abusers wait three weeks or less for treatment

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From National drug and alcohol treatment waiting times 1 July 2024 to 30 September 2024, published today, you can see that the 90% target of referrals starting treatment for problematic use of drugs has been been met since June 2021 and has now surged to 95.6% of the 10 919 referrals in one quarter starting treatment for drug abuse within three weeks. Of these, 54.2% (4 042) started within only one week. BBC Scotland has not reported on this service since 2021, when they ignored the overall data and bemoaned: Nearly 60% of services did not give addicts … Continue reading Unreported since – Drug treatment in Scotland target smashed for 14th time in a row as 94% of drug abusers wait three weeks or less for treatment

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Alcohol related hospital admissions in Scotland fall by one third after Labour Government ousted and plummet after minimum unit pricing introduced

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Alcohol related hospital statistics, Scotland financial year 2023 to 2024, published today: In 2023/24, the European Age-sex standardised rate of alcohol-related hospital admissions to general acute hospitals was 548 per 100,000 population and was 3% higher than the rate in 2022/23 (532 per 100,000). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/alcohol-related-hospital-statistics/alcohol-related-hospital-statistics-scotland-financial-year-2023-to-2024/ The above rate peaked at 885.4 per 100 000 in 2007/2008, the last year of the New Labour Scottish Government and the trend since, with one-year fluctuations as is typical, such as last year, has been steadily downward from 885.4 to 548, then dramatically plummeting from 669.6 in 2017/2018, as minimum … Continue reading Alcohol related hospital admissions in Scotland fall by one third after Labour Government ousted and plummet after minimum unit pricing introduced

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Scotland’s drug and alcohol services both hitting 90% seen with 3 weeks target, year after year, but that’s not relevant because we’ve one group to criticise the Scottish Government on them

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that’s according to ‘Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems’. The organisation says both that both issues are important but that recent political focus has been on trying to reduce drug deaths without the same attention to alcohol. A ministerial statement will be made later on how to improve the lives of people impacted by drugs and alcohol. The Scottish Government continues to do all it can on the issue. By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Reporting Scotland staff with another report linking the SNP Government with problems which are the direct responsibility of health boards. What is the actual evidence of … Continue reading Scotland’s drug and alcohol services both hitting 90% seen with 3 weeks target, year after year, but that’s not relevant because we’ve one group to criticise the Scottish Government on them

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Scottish alcohol deaths stabilise, after years of Tory austerity and pandemic lockdowns, as Scottish Government treatment programmes repeatedly beat 95% target, just in time for Labour to drive folk to drink again

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By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland, typically thick in the junior ranks but sneaky at the top, have this today: Scottish alcohol deaths at 15-year high. The number of people in Scotland whose death was caused by alcohol remains at a high level, with the largest number of deaths in 15 years. The latest figures from National Records of Scotland, (NRS) show 1,277 people died from conditions caused by alcohol in 2023. This was one death more than the previous year, which was the highest number since 2008. As always, from BBC Scotland, a more meaningful look at longer trends … Continue reading Scottish alcohol deaths stabilise, after years of Tory austerity and pandemic lockdowns, as Scottish Government treatment programmes repeatedly beat 95% target, just in time for Labour to drive folk to drink again

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Encouraging research reveals Scotland not ‘worst in world’ for teen drinking and smoking but England might be

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By Professor John Robertson In the Guardian today, there’s some pretty bad news in the above graph regarding England’s 15 year-old girls, with a sharp increase from 2018 in the percentage having smoked. There’s some but far less so for Scotland, as our 15 year-old boys and girls, reveal a slight fall to stay significantly below the average in this WHO survey of 280 000 children in 48 countries . For alcohol consumption by 13 year-old boys, the picture in Scotland is very positive with a significant fall from 2018 in the percentage having drunk alcohol. For girls there is … Continue reading Encouraging research reveals Scotland not ‘worst in world’ for teen drinking and smoking but England might be

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Alcohol-related hospitalisation rates continue to plummet after Labour mismanagement ends

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In the years of Labour government at Holyrood, alcohol-related hospital admissions to general acute hospitals, climbed steadily and worryingly, to peak in 2006/2007. From then on as the SNP in government began their push toward a more equal society with enhanced benefits, more progressive taxation, lower rent and rates and more affordable housing than elsewhere in the UK, they have fallen steadily. In addition, the SNP Minimum Unit Pricing scheme has now been running for six years. Some researchers have been keen to suggest it has not been effective but have no other explanation for the continued and accelerating fall since … Continue reading Alcohol-related hospitalisation rates continue to plummet after Labour mismanagement ends