Alcohol Change UK submission to the Scottish Parliament Health, Social Care and Sport Committee Call for Written Evidence on the Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill.
This call for written evidence will help to inform the Committee’s scrutiny of the Bill, including the selection of witnesses to be invited to give oral evidence on the Bill.
Response summary:
- We support the intent of the Bill and firmly believe that everyone should have the right to receive support and treatment for addiction or dependency.
- We are concerned that the current Bill will exclude people who are not currently addicted or dependent on alcohol from accessing treatment. All people in need of support should have the same right to access support and treatment, not just those who are clinically diagnosed.
- The proposed Bill has encouraged conversations around treatment and support for people with drug and alcohol problems, which is beneficial in reducing alcohol-related stigma.
- The Bill must make provisions for reducing barriers to treatment, including stigma. Healthcare staff across services should be provided with alcohol awareness training that includes a focus on the needs of people with chronic alcohol dependency and serious multiple unmet needs
- The current Bill does not create the necessary statutory obligations and mechanisms to enforce people’s rights when accessing treatment. The Human Rights Bill for Scotland could be better placed to support people who require treatment, but its implementation has been delayed despite ongoing support.
- Changes to legislation should be evidence-based and we recommend that findings from Public Health Scotland’s review on the reasons behind the decline in alcohol treatment be used to shape any future legislation.
- While this is a reserved matter, the Scottish Parliament could work to influence Westminster to remove the exclusion of alcohol dependence from the definition of disability in the Equality Act (2010), which would help reduce stigma as a barrier to treatment.
- We support the responses to this call for views provided by Alcohol Focus Scotland and Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP).