The term Medication Assisted Treatment is used to refer to the use of medication, such as opioids, together with psychological and social support, in the treatment and care of individuals who experience problems with their drug use. The Drug Deaths Taskforce published ten standards of care for medication assisted treatment in May 2021. The MAT standards aim to improve access, choice and care for people affected by problematic substance use across Scotland.

This is a benchmarking report on the progress that alcohol and drug partnerships in Scotland are making to meet the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards, April 2022. The report includes recommended actions to address gaps.

Medication Assisted Treatment standards 1 to 5 were assessed across all 29 alcohol and drug partnerships. Of 145 standards of care assessed, 17% (25/145) are fully implemented, 65% (94/145) are partially implemented and 18% (26/145) are not implemented. This suggests work has started or is well established in most alcohol and drug partnership areas but that there is still a lot to do for full, consistent and sustained implementation of the standards across Scotland.