National benchmarking report on implementation of the medication assisted treatment (MAT) standards
2021-22

About this release

This is a benchmarking report on the progress that alcohol and drug partnerships in Scotland are making to meet the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards, April 2022. The report includes recommended actions to address gaps.

Main points

Medication Assisted Treatment standards 1 to 5 were assessed across all 29 alcohol and drug partnerships. Of 145 standards of care assessed, 17% (25/145) are fully implemented, 65% (94/145) are partially implemented and 18% (26/145) are not implemented. This suggests work has started or is well established in most alcohol and drug partnership areas but that there is still a lot to do for full, consistent and sustained implementation of the standards across Scotland.

Of 29 ADP areas by MAT standard: MAT standard 1: The standard is fully implemented in 1 ADP area (3%), partially implemented in 11 ADP areas (38%) and not implemented in 17 ADP areas (59%). MAT standard 2: The standard is fully implemented in 4 ADP areas (14%), partially implemented in 22 ADP areas (76%) and not implemented in 3 ADP areas (10%). MAT standard 3: The standard is fully implemented in 6 ADP areas (21%), partially implemented in 20 ADP areas (69%) and not implemented in 3 ADP areas (10%). MAT standard 4: The standard is fully implemented in 8 ADP areas (28%), partially implemented in 20 ADP areas (69%) and not implemented in 1 ADP area (3%). MAT standard 5: The standard is fully implemented in 6 ADP areas (21%), partially implemented in 21 ADP areas (72%) and not implemented in 2 ADP areas (7%). The RAG score of blue (there is evidence of sustained implementation and ongoing monitoring of the standard across all MAT services) was not allocated to any standard.

Close

Chart: Red Amber Green (RAG) score for all ADP areas for each MAT standard 1 to 5

Background

The term Medication Assisted Treatment is used to refer to the use of medication, such as opioids, together with psychological and social support, in the treatment and care of individuals who experience problems with their drug use. The Drug Deaths Taskforce published ten standards of care for medication assisted treatment in May 2021. The MAT standards aim to improve access, choice and care for people affected by problematic substance use across Scotland.

The next release of this publication will be 02 August 2022.