In January 2023 the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership commissioned an independent needs assessment and feasibility study for a safer drug consump5on facility (SDCF) in Edinburgh. The research was carried out by a team based at the University of S5rling, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Glasgow and Figure 8 Consultancy. It involved four key work packages:

• a review of the global literature on SDCFs, with a focus on service design and evalua5on
• an assessment of available data for drug consump5on trends, harms and service provision in Edinburgh
• interviews with people with lived and living experience of substance use in the city, and family members affected by substance use
• interviews with key professional stakeholders and decision-makers likely to be involved in either the commissioning or delivery of a service in the city

This report presents the findings from these four work packages, with recommendation for next steps.