Responses were received from all 30 Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) in Scotland. The survey included sections relating to cross cutting priorities and outcomes in the National Drugs Mission outcomes framework and covered activity over 2023/24. The key findings are: 

Cross cutting priority: Surveillance and data informed

• Almost all ADP areas reported having specific groups or structures to inform surveillance and monitoring of drug harms or deaths. Fewer ADPs reported groups relating to alcohol, though several reported having these in development.
• Three quarters of ADPs reported that they had made revisions to protocols in response to emerging threats, such as novel synthetics.

Cross cutting priority: Skilled and resilient and workforce

• ADPs reported that they employed an average of 3.5 whole-time equivalent (WTE) staffing resource routinely dedicated to their ADP support team as of 31 March 2024. This is a slight increase from 3.1 WTE in the 2022/23 survey.
• ADPs reported a range of initiatives undertaken at ADP level or in services to improve employee wellbeing.

Cross cutting priority: Lived and living experience

• All ADPs reported having formal mechanisms in place at an ADP level to gather feedback from people with lived and/or living experience who use ADP-funded services, including as part of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) programme.
• Feedback was most commonly used in service improvement, service design, strategy and board level feedback. It was less commonly reported for use in assessment and appraisal processes for staff.

Cross cutting priority: Stigma reduction

• All ADPs included stigma in at least one written strategy or policy but were less likely to include stigma in communication strategies, drug or alcohol deaths and harms action plans and community action plans...