Scotland has largely met its national standard for drug and alcohol treatment waiting times, though significant regional variations reveal ongoing challenges in service delivery, according to new data from Public Health Scotland.

Between April and June 2025, more than 10,600 referrals were made to community-based specialist services across the country. The figures show that nearly half of these referrals (48.1%) were related to problematic alcohol use, whilst drug-related referrals accounted for 37.5% of cases.

Meeting the Three-Week Standard

The Scottish Government’s 2011 standard mandates that 90% of people referred for help with problematic substance use should wait no longer than three weeks for specialist treatment. Scotland drug and alcohol treatment services achieved a 94.3% success rate for community-based provision during the quarter ending 30 June 2025.

However, two NHS Boards fell short of this benchmark. NHS Lothian managed just 89.0% of referrals within the three-week window, whilst NHS Highland achieved 83.6% – the lowest performance across all Scottish health boards.

The data demonstrates stronger performance in drug treatment specifically, with 96.2% of drug-related referrals starting treatment within three weeks. Alcohol treatment waiting times proved more challenging, meeting the standard at 92.8%, though still above the required threshold.

Prison-Based Services Face Greater Pressure

Substance misuse services within Scottish prisons showed different patterns. Of 718 referrals to prison-based services, the vast majority (79.4%) concerned problematic drug use, reflecting the concentration of dependency issues within the prison population.

Whilst the national standard was met overall for prison-based services at 94.4%, three out of nine NHS Boards with such services failed to meet the target. NHS Tayside’s prison services particularly struggled, with only 58.3% of referrals starting treatment within three weeks.

Opioid Substitution Therapy Numbers Decline

Public Health Scotland reported that 28,015 people received opioid substitution therapy (OST) in the twelve months ending March 2025. This represents a decrease from 28,644 in the previous quarter, continuing a gradual downward trend in OST prescribing.

The data shows significant geographical concentration, with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde accounting for 29% of all OST prescriptions in Scotland. NHS Lothian followed with 16%, and NHS Lanarkshire with 11% of the national total.

OST, which includes methadone and buprenorphine treatments, remains a cornerstone intervention for individuals with opioid dependency. Data quality challenges make the prescribing figures only “minimum estimates,” meaning the actual numbers may be higher.

Understanding the Treatment Landscape

The quarterly statistics exclude ten of Scotland’s 193 specialist treatment services due to incomplete data, meaning the true picture of demand may be somewhat understated. Community-based services handled the majority of referrals, with co-dependency cases – those involving both alcohol and drugs – accounting for 14.4% of all referrals.

As of late June 2025, nearly 2,000 people referred to community services were still awaiting treatment, with 11.7% of these having waited beyond the three-week standard. For prison-based services, 13 referrals remained outstanding, though 23% had exceeded the target waiting time.

Looking Forward

The statistics highlight both achievements and areas requiring attention within Scotland drug and alcohol treatment provision. Whilst the national picture shows strong adherence to waiting time standards, regional disparities suggest that some health boards face particular pressures in delivering timely interventions.

The continuing demand for specialist services – with over 10,000 quarterly referrals – underscores the ongoing need for accessible, responsive treatment pathways. Early intervention through prompt access to specialist support remains crucial in supporting individuals on their journey towards recovery.

Public Health Scotland continues to monitor Scotland’s drug and alcohol treatment data quarterly, using figures from the Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy), which replaced earlier databases in 2021 and now provides comprehensive coverage across all NHS Boards.

Source: dbrecoveryresources