Annual Reporting for the Argyll and Bute Alcohol and Drugs Partnership
Argyll and Bute Council · 19 November 2025
Back to Argyll and Bute HSCP Integration Joint Board (IJB) — 19 November 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 Integration Joint Board Date of Meeting: 19 November 2025 Title of Report: Annual Reporting for the Argyll and Bute Alcohol & Drug Partnership Presented by: Alison McGrory, Associate Director of Public Health Tracey McFall, Chair of Argyll and Bute ADP The IJB is asked to: ▪ Note the content of the Argyll and Bute Alcohol & Drug Partnership Annual Report (2024-2025) (paper a) ▪ Note the Scottish Government Annual Survey 2024 – 2025 (paper b) and formally approve in retrospect of submission in June 2025 ▪ Endorse the Alcohol & Drug Partnership Strategy 2025 – 2027 (paper c) 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This paper outlines considerable work delivered in Argyll and Bute over 2024 – 2025 to support people with alcohol and drug problems in order to reduce the harms to their health and wellbeing, as well as wide ranging activity to prevent the occurrence of new alcohol and drug problems. This work is reported retrospectively via an accessible and easy to read annual report that will be shared widely and published online. Further statutory reporting of this work takes place to Scottish Government in an annual return. This paper also provides an update on the strategic direction for the work of the ADP for the coming 2 years. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS Note the contents of Argyll and Bute ADP’s annual report for the period 2024 – 2025 in advance of this being shared widely with partners and communities with an interest in preventing alcohol and drug problems. Note the annual submission of alcohol and drug activity in Argyll and Bute to the Scottish Government. This requires retrospective sign-off by the IJB due to the submission date being the end of June each year. Endorse Argyll and Bute’s updated strategic direction for 2025 – 2027 in the updated ADP Strategy.
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2 3. DETAIL OF REPORT Argyll and Bute Alcohol & Drug Partnership Annual Report 2024-2025 The Argyll and Bute Alcohol & Drug Partnership (ADP) 2024-2025 Annual Report outlines the ADP’s achievements in 2024–25, including strategic development, service delivery, recovery initiatives, and partnership working. Key highlights include the development of the 2025–27 strategy, prevention initiatives, community based recovery provided by With You and enhanced community engagement. The report outlines progress to-date and activity which has taken place to address the four pillars of the 2023 Strategy Refresh, which are: • Prevention and early intervention • Developing Recovery Oriented Systems of Care • Getting it Right for Everybody • Public Health Approach to Justice Highlights within the APD Annual Report include: • Strategy development through stakeholder engagement • Celebrating Recovery with events including the Outrun screening and National Recovery Walk. • Successful completion of the Scottish Drugs Forum Addiction Worker Programme • Drug and Alcohol Recovery in the Community and Outreach Service • Developing a Whole Family Approach in Argyll and Bute. • Housing and Independent Advocacy partnerships • Collaborative approaches to recovery orientated systems of care within the community and placed based test of change supported by Community Learning Development • Grant Funded initiatives • Training and workforce development • Justice pathway alignment The report is produced in an accessible format to be shared widely across partners and communities. Scottish Government Annual Survey 2024 – 2025 The survey aims to gather information from all Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) in Scotland about their activities related to the National Mission on Drugs Deaths Plan (Scottish Government, 2022) to reduce drug deaths and improve lives, as well as alcohol-related work during the 2024/25 financial year. It covers both drug and alcohol policy areas and consolidates various data requests from the Scottish Government to reduce the need for separate inquiries. The survey includes both recurring and new questions to support ongoing and future data needs and policy development. Findings will be published as Official Statistics in autumn. Quantitative data will be published at the ADP level, while qualitative data will be shared with Public Health Scotland and may be used in reports.
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3 Areas to highlight include the commitment to lived experience and Whole Family Approaches. The ADP actively engages people with recovery communities using a range of methods, this is an area we hope to develop over the coming year. A Whole Families Steering Group has been formed with clear priorities, including making family support visible and accessible. Small grants have been offered to promote family inclusive practices, and stigma reduction is a key focus. Despite progress, the ADP faces challenges due to geographic distance, workforce shortages, and infrastructure limitations, especially in implementing MAT standards and residential rehabilitation. There is a need to develop further harm reduction intervention and barriers exist in justice-related pathways and services for specific groups. Alcohol & Drug Partnership Strategy 2025 – 2027 The ADP Strategy 2025-2027 outlines the priorities identified by the ADP, stakeholders and national directives. The strategy acknowledges the changing environment with national plans and challenging financial climate. It includes evidence from local data, stakeholder engagement, and national strategy and frameworks. The golden thread running through the strategy is a focus to strengthen our partnerships as the foundation of all our activity and working closely with people with lived and living experience. The strategy recognises the responsibilities of Health Board and Local Authorities in providing health and social care services, including support and services for people impacted by substance use. The HSCP has a central role in implementing the ADP Strategy 2025-27and these are embedded throughout the strategy, including leadership, performance management, accountability, service delivery and strategic alignment and taking forward the national priorities detailed in section 5 ofthis report as well as the Charter of Rights for people affected by substance use. Embedding the Charter into our service planning and raising awareness of the rights https://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/blog/resources/final-charter-of-right-for- people-affected-by-substance-use 4. RELEVANT DATA AND INDICATORS ADP performance reporting is via the Integrated Performance Management Framework (IPMF). MAT progress and oversight takes place with Public Health Scotland at Regular Support To Implement Resource (STIR) meetings and quarterly reporting to Scottish Government. Key outputs for support services in 2024 – 2025 include: • 425 individuals supported by With You recovery services • 21 people accessed residential rehabilitation • 76% of people accessing Medication Assisted Treatment reported positive relationships with their workers. • 20 people trained as CRAFT practitioners 5. CONTRIBUTION TO STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
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4 The ADP Strategy priorities closely align the Argyll and Bute HSCP Joint Strategic objectives to reduce the number of avoidable emergency hospital admissions, promote health and wellbeing across our communities and age groups and support staff to continuously improve the information, support and care they deliver. Embedding MAT Standards Medically Assisted Treatment Standards: access, choice, support (Scottish Government, 2021) https://www.gov.scot/publications/medication-assisted-treatment-mat- standards-scotland-access-choice-support/ as part of evidence based practice to enable consistent delivery of safe, accessible, high-quality drug treatment to reduce drug harms and directly relates to the HSCP strategic objective to reduce the number of avoidable emergency hospital admissions and minimise the time that people are delayed in hospital. Providing Recovery Orientated Systems of Care to offer person centred, holistic recovery focussed approach, The Quality Principles: Standard of Care and Support in Drug and Alcohol Services (Scottish Government, 2014) https://www.gov.scot/publications/quality-principles-standard-expectations-care- support-drug-alcohol-services/pages/4/ support the HSCP strategic objective to promote health and wellbeing across our communities and age groups. Enhancing prevention to reduce death, injuries and health conditions and providing support, dignity and respect to people in recovery and prevent the onset of problematic substance use Alcohol Framework: Preventing Harm (Scottish Government, 2018) https://www.gov.scot/publications/alcohol- framework-2018-preventing-harm-next-steps-changing-relationship-alcohol/ and Rights Respect and Recovery (Scottish Government, 2018) https://www.gov.scot/publications/rights-respect-recovery/ aligns with the HSCP strategic objective to promote health and well being across our communities and age groups. Promoting whole-family approaches is a national priority, Improving holistic family support towards whole family approach and family inclusive practice Families Affected by Drug and Alcohol Use in Scotland: A Framework for Holistic Whole Family Approaches and Family Inclusive Practice (Scottish Government, 2021) – https://www.gov.scot/publications/improving-holistic- family-support-towards-whole-family-approach-family-inclusive-practice-drug- alcohol-services/pages/9 developing and implementing a whole family approach and family inclusive practice consistent with principles of prevention and acknowledging the role families have in supporting recovery and the need for them to receive bespoke support. Supporting community justice inclusion to connect and support people within the justice system whose offending is linked to substance use and support them to access health, wellbeing and welfare, National Strategy for Community Justice (Scottish Government, 2022). https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy- plan/2022/06/national-strategy-community-justice-2/documents/national- strategy-community-justice/national-strategy-community- justice/govscot%3Adocument/national-strategy-community-justice.pdf
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5 6. GOVERNANCE IMPLICATIONS Financial Impact – none A spending plan for 2025 until 2026 has been approved by the ADP £319 487 of which is Programme for Government which baselined and expected to be fully spent. Other lines for our ADP budget total £576,333 are in year funding until 2026, these include National Mission, Lived Experience, Stabilisation, Whole Families Approach, MIST/MAT Standards and Residential Rehabilitation. The Scottish Government outlines the frameworks and strategies to be implemented a local level and requires ADPs to report via the annual survey (paper b). The ADP Co-ordinators budget £358,900, is baselined and expected to be fully. 6.1 Staff Governance - none 6.3 Clinical and Care Governance – no impact 7. PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY SLT and professional leads have oversight of this work with leadership from the Associate Director of Public Health. 8. EQUALITY & DIVERSITY IMPLICATIONS An integrated Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) on the renewed priorities and strategies has been completed for the new ADP Strategy. 8. GENERAL DATA PROTECTION PRINCIPLES COMPLIANCE All work aligns with GDPR principles and there are no additional GDPR implications. 9. RISK ASSESSMENT Existing processes within the HSCP to identify any critical and ongoing risks are used. An example of this is in relation to lines of governance between the Clinical and Care Governance Committee and investigations into suspected drug related deaths of people who are known to HSCP services. 10. PUBLIC & USER INVOLVEMENT & ENGAGEMENT Extensive engagement through focus groups, surveys, community events, and forums have informed our strategy. The Health Needs Assessment highlights findings from both qualitative an quantitative data. It included a desk top exercise, an online survey and focus group. 98 people within Argyll and Bute completed the online survey and 114 people participated in focus groups ensuring the voices of lived experience and young people. A workshop was held to identify the HNA priorities to inform the ADP Strategy 2025-2027. 40 families and stakeholders attended the Whole Family Approach Conference in September 2024.
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6 The Scottish Government’s National Mission to save and improve the lives among people most at risk requires ADPs to collect experiential data on Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards. In 2024 to 2025, the ADP worked in partnership with the Scottish Drugs Forum to implement a person- centred approach and dedicated resource to conduct qualitative research resulting in 42 people accessing support being interviewed, two family members and 13 staff. The ADP Annual Report will be shared widely via meetings and a range of platforms. 11. CONCLUSIONS Alcohol and drug problems remain a considerable cause for concern in Scotland and a significant contributor of poor health and wellbeing in our population. This paper outlines the wealth of work carried out in Argyll and Bute to reduce the impact of alcohol and drug related harms. The support of the IJB is welcomed to ensure the ADP works to prevent and anticipate problems from occurring and that people affected by alcohol and drug problems can access caring and compassionate person-centred care in a timely way. 12. DIRECTIONS Directions required to Council, NHS Board or both. Directions to: tick No Directions required x Argyll & Bute Council NHS Highland Health Board Argyll & Bute Council and NHS Highland Health Board 13. PREVIOUS REVIEW OF THE REPORT Meeting Title of report Date Output (if relevant) N/A REPORT AUTHOR AND CONTACT Laura Stephenson. ADP Co-ordinator Laura.stephenson2@nhs.scot