Supplementary information for the national benchmarking report on implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards
2021-22

About this release

This report provides supplementary information that was used to inform the higher-level conclusions and recommendations contained in the National benchmarking report on implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards 2021–22, which was published in June 2022.

Main points

Medication Assisted Treatment standards 1 to 5 were assessed across all 29 alcohol and drug partnerships (ADPs) areas. 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 indicates that work has started or is well established in most ADP areas but that there is still a lot to do for full, consistent and sustained implementation of the standards across Scotland.

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

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.

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Background

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