The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-16291, in the name of Carol Mochan, on a holistic approach to alcohol-related brain damage. The debate will be concluded without any question being put. I invite members who wish to participate in the debate to press their request-to-speak buttons, and I invite Carol Mochan to open the debate.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes what it sees as the concerning and under-recognised issue of alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) in the South Scotland region and across the country; believes that there are significant permanent physical, psychological and social consequences of the condition, including decreased cognitive functioning, mental health problems and harm to quality of life; notes the view that there is a need to adopt a more holistic multidisciplinary approach, integrating healthcare, social services, public health and addiction teams for people with alcohol dependence; further notes the belief in working collaboratively to prioritise the recognition, prevention and treatment of ARBD, ensuring healthcare professionals are adequately trained to identify and manage the condition, with adequate resources provided to ensure early diagnosis and treatment, and recognises the calls for public health campaigns to raise awareness and remove stigma.
17:49
I thank members for supporting my motion and for the cross-party support that has allowed me to bring this important subject to the chamber. I pre-emptively thank members who will contribute to the debate; I am sure that many of them will have local stories to tell that relate to this desperately complex, life-changing and stigmatised condition. It is important that those experiences are given a platform.
I welcome guests to the public gallery: Grant Brand, who is a social work lead for ARBD in Glasgow; and, from Ayrshire, Dr Ben Chetcuti and Leanne MacPherson. Both are healthcare professionals who have been instrumental in sparking my interest in this area and helping me to understand the real and significant need to raise the profile of the condition and understand the treatment requirements for it.
Alcohol-related brain damage, which is often shortened to ARBD, is a subject that does not receive the attention that it deserves. Although the subject is mentioned in the chamber on occasion, it is right that we have time tonight to debate it properly. Those who are listening to or watching the debate at home may not entirely understand what ARBD is, so I will briefly explain it.
ARBD is a condition in which there are changes to the structure and function of the brain as a result of long-term heavy alcohol use. Alcohol especially damages the frontal lobes of the brain—the brain’s control centre—and symptoms therefore include struggling to plan, make decisions and assess risk. In addition, people might have difficulty in concentrating and finding motivation to do things, even daily tasks such as eating. People can also have difficulties in controlling impulses and managing emotions, and ARBD often results in changes in personality.
It is likely that many people who are suffering from ARBD are not diagnosed. One symptom of ARBD is a lack of insight into the problems that it causes, which means that many patients do not recognise that there is anything wrong and do not seek medical help. In addition, importantly, there is a lack of understanding among clinicians. The numerous forms and presentations of the condition mean that, in order to make a diagnosis, clinicians need to be aware of the variations of ARBD. It can be difficult to distinguish between the long-term effects of alcohol on the brain and the short-term effects of intoxication or withdrawal. From my discussions with clinicians who are interested in this field, I am aware that the lack of expertise in, for example, general practice, accident and emergency departments and general wards can result in opportunities for diagnosis and treatment being missed.
I am grateful to Carol Mochan for taking an intervention, and I compliment her on bringing the debate to the chamber. One of the interesting factors regarding ARBD is the complexity in its presentation. Would she agree, however, that it seems to be particularly prevalent in adults aged between about 40 and 55, which means that there is an identifiable group, and training could be given to look out for the condition among those of that age?
I thank the member for the intervention—I absolutely agree, and I know from my discussions with clinicians that age is a very important factor regarding ARBD, as younger people are presenting and diagnosis can be missed.
It is thought that ARBD is present in 1.5 per cent of the general population and among almost 30 per cent of alcohol-dependent individuals. The average age of those who are referred to specialist ARBD services is 55, but there are—shockingly—some reports of individuals as young as 30, and even in their 20s, being diagnosed.
My friend is making an excellent speech. Does she share my admiration for the work that is done by organisations such as Penumbra, which has a centre for ARBD in Possilpark in my area, and does she note the significance of social inequality in the incidence of ARBD? Substance use and misuse can often be a factor in self-medicating for bigger traumas, and in particular poverty-related traumas.
I can give you the time back for the interventions, Ms Mochan.
I thank Paul Sweeney for his intervention; I absolutely will come on to that point. Those services are important and we should build on them, and the social deprivation element must be part of our discussions.
I think that we can all agree that people of a young age in particular are at a point in their life where they should have positive years ahead. Even when people are 55, that should be a time for them to be excited about the next stage in life, but the condition can make the basics of life intolerable. Dr Chetcuti explained to me that he believes that, sadly, the lack of services for those patients means that many people live a life of poor quality or lose their life far sooner than they should.
The reasons that people end up with the condition are complex but, essentially, ARBD is caused by a person regularly drinking or binge drinking much more alcohol than the recommended limits, which, over time, can, if untreated, cause irreparable damage to the brain.
The brain damage is often caused by a lack of thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, which the brain requires in order to work properly. Absorption of thiamine while drinking alcohol to excess is one cause, but we know that those with serious dependency often have chaotic lifestyles, and that can result in poor dietary intake, which exacerbates the lack of thiamine.
It was reporting on the use of thiamine in treatment that made me realise how important it was to raise awareness of the condition and argue for better services. That treatment should be achievable, but people need knowledgeable clinicians and specialist services to support them. There is evidence that if excessive alcohol consumption is stopped and thiamine intake is increased, around 25 per cent of people can make a full recovery and 50 per cent of people can make a partial recovery. However, the reality is that, as a result of a lack of services to raise the profile of ARBD and its treatment, those opportunities are being missed. That is an important point.
As my friend Martin Whitfield said, it is often younger people who are affected, and they can experience poor quality of life. Care home beds for them are very expensive, and that poor quality of life continues because, once someone is admitted, it is difficult to get the expertise to support them and get them home. The evidence shows that we can change that, and it is important that we talk about that in Parliament.
I know that time is tight, Deputy Presiding Officer, but we cannot have a debate on the subject without mentioning the root causes of alcohol misuse, the link to poverty and deprivation and the role of Government in policy development. I acknowledge the Government’s role—as the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health will know—in progressing minimum unit pricing. However, I hope that the minister might, in her closing remarks, respond with regard to future movement on the introduction of evidence-based population-wide measures around availability and marketing of alcohol products. With those measures, we would see population-level changes in alcohol intake, resulting in a change to the drinking norms in Scottish society. That is the reality.
In my final minutes—I promise, Deputy Presiding Officer—I return to services for people who are currently suffering from ARBD. The reality is that services are at risk of diminishing rather than expanding. I believe—as I hope that I have shown tonight—that we need to take the subject seriously. I hope that the debate is merely the start of a conversation in the Scottish Parliament. What high-quality service provision currently exists for those who are suffering from ARBD, and how does the Government ensure that funding for those services continues and that there is funding to open other services in Scotland?
We must talk about national treatment standards and how we ensure that there is a referral pathway for the condition to the services that provide care.
I will stop there, Deputy Presiding Officer.
Thank you, Ms Mochan. We move to the open debate.
17:58
I am pleased to speak in this important debate, and I thank Carol Mochan for bringing it to the chamber and for her informative speech.
Scotland has had a difficult relationship with alcohol over the years. The majority of us, thankfully, can enjoy alcohol without it elevating into addiction. However, it is important for everyone to understand that alcohol-related brain damage occurs in around 35 per cent of those who succumb to the illness of addiction. It happens as a result of long-term heavy drinking and accounts for between 10 and 24 per cent of all cases of dementia.
The Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems partnership has produced critical evidence of which we should all take heed. Most people with ARBD are in their 50s and 60s, but—as we have heard—more and more people in their 30s and 40s are being seen with symptoms, and that is incredibly worrying. Typically, women develop ARBD at a younger age than men do, and women are more vulnerable than men to ARBD after drinking heavily for a shorter length of time. That fact surely must correlate with a higher incidence of fetal alcohol disease, which is entirely preventable by abstaining from alcohol while pregnant.
As convener of the cross-party group on women, families and justice, I find the effect of alcohol on women really concerning. It is estimated that as many as 90 per cent of women in custody in Scotland have addiction problems, whether that involves alcohol or drugs. It is further estimated that 80 per cent of women in prison have brain damage due to head injuries that are caused by domestic violence, and a similar number of women suffer mental illness to some degree. The case for holistic prevention and recovery for all those who are affected by alcohol, and women in particular, could not be more stark.
Symptoms of ARBD include difficulties in making decisions and assessing risk; difficulties with concentration and motivation; impulse and emotional control problems; and changes in personality. In effect, it damages the brain’s control centre, which makes even daily tasks difficult or impossible.
Ironically, many people who are suffering from ARBD are not diagnosed. One symptom of ARBD is a lack of insight into the problems that it causes, so many patients do not recognise that there is anything wrong and do not seek medical help. There is also significant stigma surrounding the condition, which must be removed.
Worryingly, there is also a lack of understanding among clinicians. The numerous forms and presentations of the condition mean that, in order to make a diagnosis, clinicians need to be aware of the variations of ARBD. It can be difficult to distinguish between the long-term effects of alcohol on the brain and the short-term effects of intoxication or withdrawal, so awareness of the differences is key.
The good news among the gloom is that ARBD is not progressive, as dementia is. The brain can heal, people can recover and the damage can be reversed. Doctors are able to prescribe medication that can help to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. Figures show that if excessive alcohol consumption is stopped and vitamin B1 intake is increased, 25 per cent of people can make a full recovery and 50 per cent of people make a partial recovery; sadly, 25 per cent do not recover and have to be cared for long term. Recovery services are key and everyone should have access to specialist care. SHAAP advocates for the expansion of alcohol brief interventions and for continued support for the managed alcohol programmes pilot in Glasgow.
In conclusion, I believe that it is time to rethink how we deal with the public health issue of addiction. We need to remove stigma and reframe recovery in a holistic and compassionate way. That is, I believe, the only way forward.
18:02
I, too, thank Carol Mochan for bringing the debate to the chamber. Alcohol-related brain damage is a serious issue, and one that is perhaps not as widely recognised as it should be. Carol Mochan clearly outlined the symptoms and how they directly impact those with ARBD, and referred to the role of diet and vitamin B1, or thiamine.
In 2023, 1,277 people tragically lost their lives to alcohol. That is a 15-year high, and it is quite shocking. That is 1,277 people who have lived with years of poor health and who have left behind families and friends; the effects are felt by so many. The number of people accessing alcohol services is now 40 per cent lower than it was a decade ago. When people do access those services, they are much older and, as a result, have increasingly complex problems. Again, Carol Mochan spoke about the lack of expertise and specialists in this clinical field. In Edinburgh, however, we are fortunate in having a specialist ARBD service.
I have raised issues surrounding ARBD in the chamber several times, and I have written to the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, Jenni Minto, specifically regarding issues with the NHS Lothian alcohol-related brain damage unit in Edinburgh. In September, I questioned the Scottish Government about its response to
“Dr Stephen Smith’s evaluation of the alcohol-related brain damage residential rehabilitation service in Edinburgh”.
The minister replied to say that the SNP Government was “reviewing the evaluation”.
Earlier, in an intervention, Paul Sweeney mentioned the Penumbra service in the west of Scotland. The ARBD unit that is run by Penumbra at Milestone house in Edinburgh saves lives, yet it is facing the withdrawal of funding. Given that the service reduces the number of hospital bed days in NHS Lothian by nearly 2,000 a year, it is clear that there would be a very negative impact if the service was to close.
I know that decisions on funding and service provision are made at a local level by NHS Lothian but, in responding further to my question, the minister said that the Scottish Government was
“working with members of our expert residential rehabilitation development working group to assess whether the ARBD unit meets the”
correct definition of what counts as “residential rehabilitation”, and stated that it would
“provide an update ... in due course”.—[Official Report, 11 September 2025; c 13-14.]
In October, I raised the issue in the chamber once again, after the decision to close the ARBD unit in Edinburgh was paused while options were being assessed. However, there is no other ARBD-specific residential rehab unit in Scotland, and evidence shows that treatment for people with ARBD in non-specialist units is often unsatisfactory.
I am still waiting for an update from the Scottish Government on whether that vital life-saving unit in Edinburgh will remain open. It is disappointing that the issue has dragged on for so long without any further updates.
Given the pressures that our services are under—in particular, the blocked beds and delayed discharges in acute hospital settings—I hope that the Scottish Government will provide the clarity and support that are needed to keep the ARBD unit in Edinburgh open.
18:05
I join members in congratulating my friend Carol Mochan on bringing this issue to the chamber.
Members are well aware of the horrific consequences of addiction and the national shame of drug and alcohol deaths. Alcohol-related brain damage, or ARBD, is caused by long-term heavy drinking. It can damage the frontal lobe and cause symptoms similar to dementia, such as someone struggling to make decisions, having poor impulse control or experiencing personality change.
Those with ARBD often do not know that they have the condition, or are dismissed as “problem drinkers.” As with so many other issues, it is people who live in the most deprived areas, some of which fall in my region, who are most at risk.
Many people with ARBD have complex cases with multiple issues, including addiction to other drugs, poor mental health, and social isolation. Approaches that take that into account should be supported.
In 2024, I met with the North Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Centre, where I was told about its holistic approach, which focuses on long-term positive outcomes for people with complex needs, including ARBD. With flexible care and harm reduction practices, and by building relationships, it has been able to improve outcomes for people with long-term alcohol and drug addictions and save public money in the long term. One client who required over £26,000-worth of services in the three months prior to her referral, such as police call-outs or A and E visits, needed only £3,000-worth of services in the following months with support from NEDAC.
The NHS Lothian Penumbra Milestone service, which specifically treats ARBD, also uses a multidisciplinary approach, with six different elements to recovery including social health and addiction. It has seen great success in recovery and cognition and has produced a significant saving to the NHS with 2,000 fewer hospital bed days.
However, despite clear positive outcomes, Penumbra Milestone is in the dark about its future funding, and the North Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Centre has lost funding in recent years. Those services provide proven preventative care. Underfunding them not only worsens outcomes for people with ARBD or addiction; it costs the national health service more in the long term.
The consequences of addiction for those who are suffering and their families are terrible. However, when discussing alcohol-related brain damage, it is key to remember that some recovery is possible. We know that the approach that is taken by services such as Penumbra Milestone and the North Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Centre can deliver results in the long term and save public money while doing so. For that to happen, they need to have funding and support.
18:09
I thank Carol Mochan for bringing this important topic to the chamber for debate, as well as Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems and all the people on the front line for their tireless work in this area.
We know that Scotland has long struggled with alcohol-related harms to the great detriment of our collective wellbeing, and we must not ignore the harmful impact on individuals and their families and on our society. One of the most insidious yet rarely acknowledged or understood consequences of prolonged problematic alcohol use is the damage that it can do to the brain. Some of the most harrowing cases that I encountered when I worked in the area of homelessness involved the people who were affected by that condition. Most of them were in their 40s and 50s, but the youngest person was 20, and what I witnessed trying to support him lives with me 20 years down the line.
Alcohol-related brain damage is a hidden condition that services and folk alike are just not sufficiently aware of. As we have heard, it takes many forms, ranging from cognitive impairments to memory loss and difficulties with decision making and emotional regulation. It affects not just the individual but their loved ones. It can be a significant barrier to not only accessing and maintaining recovery but accessing many other services that people depend on. Despite that, too many people go undiagnosed and untreated, and they are left to struggle on their own.
Urgent action is needed. We must develop national treatment standards and a strategy that ensures that ARBD is identified early and treated comprehensively, and that support is available to those who need it most. This is not just about healthcare; it is about creating a society where no one is left behind, where individuals suffering from ARBD receive the care and support that allows them to rebuild their lives.
First, we need to raise awareness across the healthcare sector. Many healthcare professionals, including GPs, emergency workers and even those working directly with alcohol and drug partnerships are not equipped with the tools to identify alcohol-related brain damage at an early stage. Training for front-line staff must be a priority so that they can recognise the signs of ARBD, refer individuals for appropriate diagnosis and ensure that they are provided with the right support. As we have heard, there can be a partial recovery and a reversal of symptoms. Everybody should be offered the opportunity to realise that recovery if that is possible.
Secondly, we must ensure that diagnosis is not a drawn-out process. Delays in diagnosis can lead to worsening symptoms and, ultimately, to irreversible damage. We need a streamlined pathway for diagnosing ARBD and providing timely intervention. The earlier the intervention, the better the chance of improving quality of life and recovery. That intervention needs to be holistic—physical, mental and social support should all be part of the care plan.
We must ensure that the intervention also includes provision of specialist rehab services. We have heard from members about how important that provision is. Whether specialist rehab services are provided by Penumbra or Simon Community Scotland and its managed alcohol programme, which is helpful in identifying people who have ARBD, we must ensure that they are supported and funded.
Moreover, we must take a whole-community approach. Problematic alcohol use is not an isolated issue—it is interconnected with poverty, trauma, adverse childhood experiences, housing insecurity, mental health challenges and social isolation. Treating ARBD without addressing the wider societal factors will not yield lasting results. It is essential that we work across sectors—health, housing, social services and justice—to provide a comprehensive solution to the problem.
Prevention needs to be a key strand of the work. We must focus on public health strategies to reduce harmful drinking before it leads to brain damage. Prevention must be integrated into our public health campaigns, schools and communities, because we cannot afford to wait for the damage to be done before we act. We heard from Carol Mochan about some of the best-buy deals that we know affect ARBD. We think about minimum unit pricing, but we must also think about availability and marketing.
Finally, we must ensure that people living with alcohol-related brain damage are not stigmatised. Too often, individuals with ARBD are misunderstood, blamed for their condition and excluded from society. That only deepens their isolation and makes it harder for them to access the help that they need. It is time to build a culture of understanding and empathy. We must see people for who they are—not just their condition—and offer them the dignity and respect that they deserve.
Scotland needs a strategy that identifies alcohol-related brain damage early, treats it comprehensively and supports those affected through every step of their recovery journey. We must take a collaborative approach, working across sectors and communities to tackle the issue in a way that reflects our values of fairness, compassion and respect for all. This is not just a healthcare issue—it is a social issue and a human issue. It is the challenge that we must meet with urgency, determination and care.
18:14
I am pleased to contribute to the debate and thank Carol Mochan for bringing it to the chamber.
This is an important opportunity to highlight an issue that does not receive the attention that it deserves. As we know, alcohol-related brain damage can have a devastating impact on individuals and their families. Despite that, the condition is still not well understood and is sometimes missed by health professionals. Alcohol Change UK has highlighted that the condition can lead to the double stigma of brain impairment and alcohol addiction, and the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland has said that alcohol-related brain damage often affects groups that are already marginalised in society. The motion is therefore right to speak about an holistic approach to tackling the issue. Part of the solution must be to challenge common perceptions about alcohol-related brain damage, and alcohol use disorder more generally. As the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland highlighted, there is often a perception that assessing and helping people with alcohol problems is a difficult and lengthy process.
Early detection is another important issue. As it stands, many cases of alcohol-related brain damage go undetected for years, with some clinicians misdiagnosing the condition as a mental health issue or dementia. Although improving awareness of the condition among clinicians is important, we have to be aware of the public’s ability to recognise the signs and symptoms of alcohol-related brain damage in friends, family members or even themselves, so that there are opportunities for diagnosis.
As the condition can affect each individual differently, specialist care centres are often the best approach. In my region, there is the NHS Forth Valley substance use service in Stirling and Clackmannanshire and, in Fife, there is the alcohol and drug partnership. Those vital services support individuals and social care partnerships, but many of them are struggling. They do not have the funding and budgets that are required to offer support to individuals.
It is disappointing that alcohol-related brain damage does not receive the coverage or attention that it needs. I hope that the debate gives us an opportunity to address that issue. Failure to tackle the condition will put a significant burden on health and social care across the country, and I hope that the minister will talk about that when she sums up. We have heard this evening about some of the problems that individuals in Scotland are having accessing services. We need to ensure that those who are suffering are given a support mechanism. I join members in asking the Scottish Government to consider an evidence-based solution, because that is what we need.
Scotland’s shocking history of drug deaths is a national shame and a national scandal. We cannot allow alcohol-related brain damage to go down the same route. We have heard tonight how many individuals have lost their lives because of the alcohol culture in our country. That has to stop, and the only way that it can stop is with an evidence-based solution across the country.
18:18
I, too, thank Carol Mochan for securing this debate on alcohol-related brain damage. I support her motion.
Like Elena Whitham, I thank everyone who supports people with ARBD. There is still a lot to do to improve lives and reduce harms caused by alcohol. ARBD can be underrecognised as a significant cause of physical, psychological and social impacts. I hope that members’ contributions to the debate will help to raise awareness of the condition and the need for closer working between services.
The provision of the support that people who are affected by ARBD require is shared across healthcare, social care, mental health, primary care and alcohol treatment services, including rehabilitation. The person who is affected must be at the centre of the support pathway across services. I saw that in action when I recently attended the official opening of the Scottish Government-funded expansion to the Maxie Richards Foundation residential rehab in Tighnabruaich. Such services—members mentioned services in other areas—play a crucial role in supporting individuals to reduce harms before they reach the level of ARBD.
Our investment of up to £38 million to add residential rehab capacity is a marker of the actions that this Government is taking to reduce alcohol harms as part of our national mission. A number of members mentioned Penumbra in Edinburgh, on which I understand that a decision will be made imminently.
The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland published a guide on ARBD for professionals in 2019. It estimated that the condition impacts around 1.5 per cent of Scotland’s population and 30 per cent of dependent drinkers. We also know that it disproportionately affects people in our less well-off communities. The guide notes that holistic support will help to improve prevention, detection and management.
I am pleased that the guide will be supplemented by the United Kingdom’s first alcohol treatment guidance for clinicians, which the UK Government will publish soon. The guidance will cover ARBD-related clinical requirements in diagnosing and treating the condition, which Carol Mochan raised as an issue, and is being supported by a UK-wide expert group, which included Scottish representatives. A Scottish response was provided to the public consultation, and we anticipate publication in spring 2025.
ARBD is preventable. This Parliament has supported the decision to continue minimum unit pricing and to increase the minimum price from 50p to 65p per unit. Public Health Scotland’s evaluation of MUP estimated that it has saved hundreds of lives and reduced alcohol-specific hospital admissions. The increase in the minimum unit price is expected to lead to further positive impacts. However, it is not a magic bullet.
The Scottish Government and its partners are developing a population health framework, which will be published in spring. The framework will build on our preventative public health policy of recent years, with actions that seek to tackle the root causes of ill health. It is clear that alcohol harms fall unequally, and targeting the causes of ill health and health inequalities is vital to reducing alcohol harm.
As Ms Mochan will be aware, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has announced the commissioning of Public Health Scotland to carry out a review of the evidence for the range of options that are available to the Scottish Government in relation to alcohol marketing under devolved powers.
Like Elena Whitham, I recognise the importance of cross-portfolio working and that the issue is wider than public health. Last week, I met Ms Todd and Ms Don-Innes to discuss early childhood development. One area that we covered was our commitment to increase awareness of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which is an issue that Rona Mackay raised. Supporting improved diagnosis is part of helping to deliver on our key priority to eliminate child poverty.
The work on FASD includes clear messaging from the chief medical officer on alcohol consumption during pregnancy, which is included in the “Ready Steady Baby!” guide and on the NHS Inform website. Education and training on FASD, as well as support for families and individuals, are now more available through our work with the Adoption UK FASD hub, which supports individuals and families, including children and young people.
The University of Edinburgh is delivering training to raise awareness among professionals. There is also support for the Aberlour Child Care Trust, which encourages mothers to regain their lives and create the best possible future for themselves and their young children.
Public Health Scotland has made recommendations on revitalising alcohol brief interventions, which have helped to deliver prevention messaging, raised awareness and helped with referrals to specialist support. To ensure that people with co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions have access to high-quality, person-centred care via joined-up services, in 2023, we published mental health core standards, which promote equality and human rights and help individuals, families and carers to understand what to expect from services. They also aim to eliminate stigma—members have raised that issue today—and discrimination in treatment for those with a dual diagnosis.
The need for services to integrate was one of the drivers of the creation of the integration authorities. The National Care Service (Scotland) Bill seeks to drive further consistency across services. Work on the bill has helped to prepare strategies for better integration by helping areas to take more holistic approaches, as both Foysol Choudhury and Alexander Stewart noted. For example, a new support and improvement framework, improved health and social care standards and a charter of rights will help to deliver the better integration that is necessary to improve support for conditions such as ARBD.
In relation to alcohol policy, some of those strategies are already being delivered through our national mission. A charter of rights on substance use, which was developed by our national collaborative of people with lived and living experience, was published in December 2024. We have committed to publish a service specification for substance use treatments and support services, which will set out what is required locally to deliver on the rights that are set out in the charter. We have also committed to follow that with service standards that will help to improve support for conditions such as ARBD. The introduction of medication assisted treatment standards is already showing some positive change, and similar standards for alcohol services will help to drive improvement there, too.
We have worked with partners to deliver successful public health campaigns on substance use stigma and on naloxone to reduce the risk of death from drug overdose. We will consider the merits of similar campaigns on ARBD, and I would be happy to meet Carol Mochan to discuss that further.
We are taking the actions that I have referred to because we recognise the need to raise awareness and further integrate services to prevent, detect and manage conditions such as ARBD. However, we need to go further. Working with partners on the implementation of the core mental health standards, the established protocol on treatment for dual diagnosis, the population health framework, support for better integration through work on the NCS and the delivery of our substance use national mission, I believe that we will be able to drive a more holistic approach to support for people who are living with or impacted by ARBD.
That concludes the debate.
Meeting closed at 18:26.Air ais
Decision Time