Drug action team strategies in Scotland

To compare the Strategic Plans of Scottish Drug Action Teams (DATs) to the recommendations of the Scottish Office Ministerial Task Force Report.

Extraction of information from the strategic plans of DATs.

All 15 Scottish DATs 1995-96.

Five DATs did not include a membership list in their Strategy, and two stated the organisations represented, but not the identity of individual members. Where individuals were identified, Health Boards, Social Work departments, Education and Police were always members. The median number of members was 12 (range 4-16). Most areas had plans to improve information on drug misuse. Every plan mentioned preventive work with young people. In Criminal Justice settings, use of Children's Hearings (20% of plans), substitute prescribing linked to probation (13%) and prison aftercare schemes (33%) were mentioned less commonly. Substitute prescribing (87% of DATs), the role of General Practitioners (100%) and monitoring mechanisms (87%) were the service issues mentioned most often. Of other service issues in the Ministerial Report, those mentioned least by DATs were childcare linked to services (20%); services for people from ethnic minorities (33%); education on dangers of injecting to existing drug users (33%); women--only residential services (33%); services for women (46%) and role of pharmacists (53%).

Membership was from a core of statutory agencies. Young people were the priority of most DATs. Criminal Justice arrangements and services for special groups of people were not well developed in many plans. DATs should review their focus on these groups.