Aberdeenshire alcohol and drug strategy to be assessed amid rise in death rates

Aberdeenshire councillors and NHS Grampian board members are set to scrutinise the final draft alcohol and drug strategy for the next five years, which aims to reduce the region's rise in related death rates.

The local authority and NHS Grampian's integration joint board will meet online on Wednesday and is being recommended to approve the strategy, which has been developed by Aberdeenshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP).

It aims to coordinate organisations to work collectively to reverse the deterioration in Aberdeenshire’s alcohol and other drug related death rates.

In the report that will go before councillors lead officer for Aberdeenshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership Wayne Gault said: "Over the course of the previous strategy, Aberdeenshire’s alcohol related death rate per 100,000 adults had increased steadily from 6.3 in 2011 to 12.6 in 2018 (overtaking the Aberdeenshire suicide rate of 11.9 for the first time in 2018) and our three-year rolling average drug related death rate had increased from 4.3 in 2016 to 8.8 in 2018.

"Whilst there is good justification to say these figures could have been worse were it not for the previous strategy, we are now experiencing historically high levels of alcohol and drug related deaths."

The strategy outlines that some communities in Aberdeenshire are experiencing disproportionately higher levels of risk and harm than others.

The partnership says it recognises that health, social and economic inequalities not only contribute to these higher levels of risk, but also cause further vulnerabilities which combine to impact on the lives of people, families and communities.

Therefore it said central to the strategy is the need to address these inequalities.

Mr Gault said in the report: "The strategy focuses on saving lives, promoting recovery and addressing the complex issues that can cause people to feel hopeless and ambivalent for the future.

"The key features of the strategy where people said we need to think and do things differently from before and consider essential for the future include recognising that people do not live ‘single issue lives’ by adopting a whole system approach to embedding ownership and local implementation through all partners, as part of a shared vision for public health.

"Determinedly shift the focus towards preventing ill health and reducing inequalities.

"An explicit effort to go out of one’s way to demonstrate kindness, compassion and respect to those affected by alcohol and other drugs, otherwise known as ‘radical kindness’. It is radical because of the intention to treat people who are readily left out and view their life experiences with tenderness and kindness even though it might be unappealing for some to do so.

"Tackling inequalities by safeguarding and advocating for marginalised people’s human rights."

As part of the strategy a partnership agreement has been developed, which councillors are also being recommended to approve.

It outlines the arrangements needed by a number of agencies to reduce the use of and harms from alcohol and other drugs.

This involves working with the local authority; Police Scotland; the NHS Grampian board; integration authority; Scottish Prison Service where there is a prison within the geographical area; the third sector; and community members.

In the past year the partnership has carried out a range of consultations with the GIRFEC Strategic Group; Community Justice Partnership; Community Planning Partnership; the ADP's community forums and members; and the public.

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