15 Dec 2020

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) has today (15 December 2020) published the 2019 statistics for drug related deaths in Scotland. The NRS revealed that “…the number of drug-related deaths in Scotland increased by 6%, from 1,187 in 2018 to 1,264 in 2019, representing the highest number since records began in 1996”.

Other key findings show that of all drug-related deaths in 2019:

  • Nearly 7 in 10 were male.
  • Over two thirds were aged 35 – 54.
  • Three-quarters occurred in the following five health board areas: 404 in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 163 in Lanarkshire, 155 in Lothian, 118 in Tayside and 108 in Ayrshire & Arran.
  • Heroin and morphine were implicated in more deaths than in any previous year, and over half of the total.

Professor Angela Thomas, acting president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh said:

We note that the number of drug related deaths in Scotland increased in 2019, which is of course concerning and absolutely heartbreaking.

We believe that the creation by the Scottish Government of a Drug Deaths Taskforce in July 2019 was a positive step. We are confident that the Taskforce is having the right sort of conversations about how to tackle Scotland’s drug deaths problem, and that its actions already have been positive.

Drug related deaths is a complex issue caused by a wide range of factors including high levels of deprivation in the affected communities, an ageing population of people who use or have used drugs in the past, psychological trauma, high risk patterns of drug use, the risky behaviours of some people who use drugs and stigma. This is a public health emergency, which requires a collaborative approach between government, public health agencies, political parties and the clinicians who are dealing with the crisis on the front line.

Although the issue of drug related deaths has been around for decades, there is an immediacy which must be addressed now, without further delay. The College has been working to promote the clinical voice on this issue since autumn 2019 and we held a conference in October 2020, with a report to come early next year.

It is vital that clinicians are included in the national conversation about how we can treat people who use drugs and prevent as many drug related deaths as possible. The College believes that some key interventions can be taken now including the introduction of a drugs consumption room, and a heroin assisted treatment programme in all major centres in Scotland as we see already in Glasgow. This could be particularly useful, as the 2019 statistics indicate that heroin continues to be a heavy cause of drug related deaths in Scotland.

We also support the targeted administration of Naloxone, and we call for action to tackle stigmatisation of people who use drugs – something we note that the Drug Deaths Taskforce is looking at. Importantly, there must also be action to improve the socio-economic factors associated with drug use, especially given the negative health and economic impacts of COVID-19 on Scotland’s most deprived communities.