Scotland’s Drugs Minister says charities will play a key part in efforts to reduce drug and alcohol harm, and receive direct funding, after an MSP raised concerns statutory services may act as financial gatekeepers.

In December annual drug deaths reached their highest level since records began, with 1,264 deaths being linked to drugs in 2018-19, and were branded a “national tragedy and a disgrace”.

Following years of accusations the government had continued to reduce the budgets of Scotland’s 31 Alcohol and Drug Partnerships, in January £50m was promised each year for the next five years to help improve addiction services.

Last week £3m was allocated to NHS boards to improve treatment services, including more residential drug rehabilitation places – part of a wider £5m support package promised to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs), grassroots bodies and the third sector to improve drugs services by the end of the current financial year.

Speaking at the Health and Sport Committee meeting, Conservative MSP Brian Whittle raised concerns third sector organisations may lose out – despite recent promises from the Scottish government – if Alcohol and Drug Partnerships “acted as gatekeepers” to funding for support services.

Ms Constance said she took the role of the third sector “very seriously” and that it had proved its worth during the pandemic:

“The third sector can reach people that statutory services cannot, and we have seen during the pandemic they can also react very quickly and flexibly and are often the place where innovation can be led from the front.

“…I will be following the money because I want to ensure the additional money we allocate to ADPs gets to them, and that they as commissioning bodies have a good partnership with local 3^rd sector and grassroots organisations.

“But I will also directly fund third sector organisations too…Going forward I will be laying out soon our approach and plans in terms of funding ADPs but also in terms of our plans for the longer term in and around funding third sector and grassroot organisations.”

Throughout the pandemic many charities have experienced colossal funding losses as fundraising events could not be held, charity shops had to close and other revenue streams dried up. For some this came at the same time as vast increases in demand for their services.

In December Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs warned that calls to its helpline for people concerned about a family member’s alcohol or drug use had surged by 80%.

Ms Constance added: “We need to look more closely at how we can enable organisations to access funds and also what support we can give organisations to ensure some of the internal structures required within them is there to access funds; that we find a way to support and facilitate that with those on the ground.

“Just because we have announced a £1m grassroots fund, it does not mean that is the end of the story about how we improve access.”

Read more: Report says medics need to know more about drugs; ‘Street benzo’ deaths surge linked to criminalisation; “National tragedy”: Drug deaths highest on record; Calls for help soar as addiction services ‘invisible’

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