Scots families 'devastated' by drugs deaths crisis as 600 children lose a parent in one year

Labour described the figures as "devastating" and questioned whether rehab services could deal with the numbers of Scots desperate for help.

A damning report on Scotland's drugs death crisis has revealed the "devastating" impact on families with 600 children losing a parent in just a single year.

Public health experts examined in detail those who lost their lives to substance abuse between 2019 and 2020 to better understand the scale of the emergency.

The findings published today found more than half of those who died lived in the most deprived parts of the country, while two-thirds of victims were in contact with a service that could have helped address their problematic drug use.

The report also found 602 youngsters lost a parent or a parental figure as a result of the crisis.

Scottish Labour described the report as "devastating" and questioned whether existing rehabilitation services were equipped to deal with the numbers of people looking for support.

Jackie Baillie, the party's health spokeswoman, said: "This devastating report lays bare the toll Scotland’s drug deaths crisis is taking on families and communities across Scotland.

"Hundreds of children have lost a parent needlessly, and the most deprived communities have once again paid the harshest price for government failure.

"This is a human tragedy and a national scandal. For too long the SNP has failed to get a grip on this public health emergency, leaving many lifeline services overstretched and unable to provide the support people desperately need.

"We urgently need a real plan to address this crisis and save lives, from delivering harm reduction measures to ensuring all services are equipped to help those who need it."

The report from Public Health Scotland revealed around one-third of people who died had been discharged from hospital in the six months before.

Methadone was implicated in 53 per cent of deaths in 2019/20 - the highest number and percentage since 2012.

Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Lib Dems leader, said: "Scotland’s drug deaths crisis is bringing untold suffering for families and communities across the country. Deaths have more than doubled over the last decade; it is a public health emergency that remains the worst in Europe.

"The SNP Government must explain why earlier this year they saw fit to freeze the funding for drug and alcohol policy- a real-terms cut to the budget for critical services. I worry that those services could suffer further cuts which would seriously undermine their ability to support all those who need it.

"Ministers must use every tool at their disposal to stop people dying. This includes rolling out a full nationwide network of drug testing and safer consumption facilities- centres that are proven to keep people safe, prevent fatal overdoses and present new pathways for treatment and recovery."

Annual figures published in August found that 1,172 people died from drugs in Scotland last year, an increase of 121.

Deaths from drugs have risen sharply since the mid-1990s when comparable records were first started.

Neil Gray, the Health Secretary, said: “My heartfelt condolences go to all those affected by the loss of a loved one through drugs. This level of deaths remains hugely concerning and underlines why we will continue to do all we can to reduce harm and deaths caused by drugs.

"It is crucial that we use all treatment options available to us to reduce the loss of life from substance use. Evidence published in The Lancet demonstrates that substitute therapy (Opioid Agonist Therapy) is protective, with an average 70 per cent reduction in drug-related death for people on OAT compared with mortality risk in the community off OAT.

"We’re taking a wide range of actions through our £250 million National Mission on drugs, including opening a Safer Drug Consumption Facility pilot, working towards the opening of drug-checking facilities and widening access to life-saving naloxone.

"We will also continue to improve access to residential rehab, where we’re on track to meet our target for additional placements, and drive the rollout of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards to make treatment and support available more quickly.

"We have made a record £112 million available to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADP) for treatment and support services, including £5 million a year until next year to support residential rehabilitation placements."

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