This guide was published in May 2010.
“Nobody likes to wait, especially when it is for help with a problem. For people with a drug or alcohol problem, getting treatment that enables them to recover from their problem at a time of need is crucial. We need to make sure that people do not have to wait an unacceptably long time for treatment and we want to ensure that this is the same for everyone in Scotland regardless of where people live. That is why we have, for the first time ever, a target to make sure the NHS reduce waiting times for drug treatment services and we will extend this target to alcohol treatment services in April 2011.
This document is for NHS Boards, ADPs and specialist substance misuse service providers. It aims to share learning from across the country on good practice to improve access to treatment and reduce waiting times through service redesign. This document provides:
- Clarity on what the drug and alcohol waiting times target is and who it applies to
- An explanation of the principles supporting improvement support and service redesign
- Case studies of services and partnerships that have successfully reduced waiting times through service redesign”
