Experts back methadone but say services need improving
Methadone should remain the main treatment for opiate dependency in
Scotland but improvements are needed in terms of the quality and consistency
of services. This is the conclusion of a report from the Scottish Advisory
Committee on Drug Misuse (PDF 260K).
The report is one of three published this week that will help formulate
a new drug misuse strategy in Scotland. Methadone had been under examination
in Scotland since a toddler died after drinking it last year.
Fergus Ewing, Minister for Community Safety, commented: “Experts
have concluded that it is entirely appropriate for methadone to be the
major element of the treatment available for opiate dependency.”
The report calls for national standards for methadone services to be
agreed, and suggests that quality of prescribing and dispensing could
be improved through locally negotiated community pharmacy contracts and
opportunities such as non-medical prescribing.
Stuart Notman, a community pharmacist and supplementary prescriber in
substance misuse in Aberdeen, told The Journal: “For a while, there
has been a question over whether politicians are going to keep methadone
[services] going or not.” He said the report confirms that methadone
works better if support services are in place around it.
In terms of making better use of non-medical prescribing, Mr Notman said: “There
has been a swing in attitudes in the past five years and it is now accepted
that some people need to be on methadone long-term. This group of people
do not need to be seen regularly by a GP yet they currently clog up the
system and prevent people on treatment waiting lists from being seen.
There is an opportunity here for pharmacists.”
The other
reports assessed the number of people prescribed methadone
and their views of the services they receive. Methadone service users
called for greater confidentiality in pharmacies and making it obligatory
for all pharmacies to dispense methadone.
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