SHIFT Newsroom · Scotland
Scotland’s drug-treatment standards: access, choice and mental health
UK archive · Original report: 7 July 2026. The 2025/26 MAT report examines treatment delivery across Scotland. Revised assessment criteria mean its scores cannot simply be compared with last year.
UK archive review · 13 September 2026. Original source: 7 July 2026. This article revisits a UK development; it is not a new announcement today.
What the report assesses
Public Health Scotland’s July 2026 report examines implementation of ten Medication Assisted Treatment standards across thirty Alcohol and Drug Partnerships. It combines process, numerical and experience evidence about how services are delivered.
The report describes progress in access, choice, outreach and keeping people engaged with treatment. It also identifies challenges involving psychological support, mental-health care, staffing, rural delivery and coordination between services.
A changed scoring system needs care
Assessment criteria changed in October 2025. PHS therefore says the 2025/26 findings are not directly comparable with previous years. A higher or lower-looking score should not be used to manufacture a simple improvement or decline story.
The report is an official statistics in development release. It concerns implementation of standards, rather than proving a particular reduction in drug-related deaths caused by the programme.
What someone using a service might ask
Our suggested questions are about the experience of care: how are treatment choices explained, who helps if mental-health needs arise, and what happens after a missed appointment? Ask who coordinates support when more than one team is involved.
Those questions help connect a national standards document with an individual’s day-to-day care. They are not instructions for choosing or changing medication, and a national report cannot assess personal suitability.
For SHIFT readers, this is a useful Scottish mental-health and access story because physical health, substance-use support and psychological care can otherwise be discussed separately. The test is whether the person can navigate the whole service, not simply whether a standard has been published.
Related UK reporting
Wales gambling support: what the new NHS service was set up to do
Known facts
- The 2025/26 MAT report examines treatment delivery across Scotland. Revised assessment criteria mean its scores cannot simply be compared with last year.