This release summarises a qualitative secondary analysis of lived and living experience evidence about substance use services across Scotland, focusing on implementation of the 10 Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards during 2024-25.

An initial grouping of the results gave rise to four broad themes which was further expanded to accommodate the full breadth of feedback and covered system wide questions around the extent to which services worked for or against people, as well as issues around access and transitions between different components and providers of services. Relationships with specialist support staff were a significant determinant of successful engagement and collaborative care planning, as were perceptions of physical and psychological safety and awareness of respective socio-cultural sensitivities and settings.

The resulting narratives often highlighted stark examples of inequitable treatment experienced by people accessing substance use services, illustrating the gap between current practice and the challenges of delivering a genuinely rights-based approach to healthcare. However, they also highlighted positive experiences and outcomes when the system focused on supporting recovery. While the re-use of qualitative data gathered for different purposes is not without its challenges, the resulting comparisons and contrasts can facilitate novel insights and help reduce the data gathering burden for front line staff. These extra benefits have particular value for more vulnerable groups as well as for community-based services where engagement can be difficult and resources are often constrained.