This report provides a set of recommendations to the Scottish Government and other partners involved in reducing the harms caused by problematic use of alcohol and drugs - recommendations which aim to improve access to residential rehabilitation treatment.

Residential rehabilitation treatment for drug and alcohol problems is a well-established intervention acknowledged in the Drug Misuse and Dependence National Clinical Guidelines as an important option for some people requiring treatment. A recently published international review of residential treatment outcomes for substance use disorders, which included a methodologically strong study from Scotland, found evidence for the effectiveness of residential treatment in improving outcomes across a number of substance use and life domains. It is important there is access to this intervention evenly across Scotland and that national models are developed around planning, value for money, commissioning, referral pathways, types of intervention, discharge and aftercare, what constitutes good or best practice and monitoring or regulation