Drug treatment targets have exceeded Scottish Government targets, it was revealed at a meeting of the North Ayrshire Cabinet.
North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership was challenged by the Scottish Government to increase the number of individuals in treatment from 882 individuals in April 2020 to 959 individuals by March 2024.
Peter McArthur, Senior Manager – Alcohol and Drug Services said: “Against a target of 77, there was an increase of 247 individuals receiving treatment, which significantly exceeded the target set.
“We are now awaiting a new nationally set target for 2024 onwards.
“Against a local target of supplying 460 Naloxone kits (which rapidly reverse an opioid overdose) during 2023 to 2024, 679 kits were supplied across North Ayrshire.
“Fifty-seven lives across Ayrshire and Arran were reported to have been saved through the use of Naloxone during this period (23 in North Ayrshire).
The National Records of Scotland recently produced its annual report titled ‘Drug Related Deaths (DRD) in Scotland 2023’.
In 2023, there were 1,172 DRD deaths registered in Scotland. This was an increase of 121 deaths compared with 2022 (an increase of 12 per cent).
Scotland continues to have the highest rates of any European country, with 90 per cent of these deaths classified as ‘accidental poisoning’.
People in the most deprived areas are over 15 times more likely to die from a DRD compared to people in the least deprived areas, with males twice as likely to die as females.
Ayrshire and Arran Health Board saw a slight increase of DRDs last year, from 82 deaths in 2022 to 83 deaths in 2023.
In North Ayrshire, there was a slight decrease from 37 deaths in 2022 to 36 in 2023.
East Ayrshire saw a slight increase from 30 deaths in 2022 to 31 in 2023, and South Ayrshire saw a slight increase from 15 deaths to 16.
North Ayrshire Drug Related Death figures have come down by 12 per cent in the last five years,
The figures were:
2019: 41
2020: 39
2021: 39
2022: 37
2023: 36
Mr McArthur added: “While we again welcome this slight reduction in the number of deaths in North Ayrshire, there is no room for complacency.
“Behind each drug death was a human being who was loved and is missed by their families and friends.
A total of 1,277 people across Scotland died from an Alcohol Specific Death (ASD) in 2023 – an increase of one death from 2022. This is the highest level of deaths in 15 years – with the figures showing that individuals in the poorest communities were more than 4.5 times as likely to die as those in the wealthiest areas. Male deaths continue to account for around two thirds of all deaths. In North Ayrshire, there was a slight increase from 29 deaths in 2022 to 30 in 2023.
North Ayrshire Drug Related Death figures for the past five years are as follows:
2019: 50
2020: 44
2021: 37
2022: 29
2023: 30
Mr McArthur added: “We will refresh our actions to reduce the number of deaths in North Ayrshire with an increased focus to reduce alcohol related harms similar to prioritising improvement actions to reduce drug related deaths.”
For residents of Ayrshire and Arran, Woodland View in Irvine is available for hospital-based detoxification support, shorter term rehabilitation support and also offers a day attendance programme. In addition, vulnerable families with young children can be supported to access Harper House in Saltcoats (who offer support to families from across Scotland – with support available for more vulnerable families from North Ayrshire.
Integration Joint Board chair Margraret Johnson said: “Every single drug or alcohol death is one that is not needed, The common thread through the report is the amount of work the team has done bringing us to this standard.”
Council leader Marie Burns added: “We are really grateful to the team how grateful we are for the work which has been done and the impact it has had on lives.”
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