Scots greet unit’s demise with regret

Substance misuse professionals have criticised the closure of a
Scottish executive body designed to improve services in the
field.

The Effective Intervention Unit ceased operating last week after
ministers decided to use the resources spent on it to develop more
“targeted, focused” local projects.

One drug and alcohol action team chair, who preferred not to be
named, said the unit produced “very effective” work.

“It was always going to have a limited lifespan but there was some
surprise that something that has always produced such high-quality
work was being disbanded,” he added.

An executive spokesperson suggested resources would be shifted
towards inspection and assessment, saying the executive was
developing an audit tool with the Care Commission to enable civil
servants to assess the quality of substance misuse services.