A former North Ayrshire care home was identified as the only suitable site for a specialist family drug rehabilitation centre - but ministers have had to make amends after the local council said it was being left out of the plans.

Phoenix Futures, a housing association charity, will receive more than £8m to transform former Seabank care home in Saltcoats into a family-friendly rehabilitation facility.

It will be the second Scottish centre to allow parents going through rehab to continue living with their children and is due to open to up 20 families at a time this summer.

Funding to build the pilot facility was announced by the Scottish government in August last year, just days after figures had revealed record high drug deaths for the seventh year in a row.

But meeting notes show local representatives felt they weren’t in the know. Councillor Joe Cullinane said he was ‘frustrated and disappointed’ North Ayrshire council were not informed of proposals to launch the national pilot service in the area.

At a meeting between the Scottish government, local government and Phoenix Futures in October, the drug minister Angela Constance said more could have been done to keep the council in the loop.

Mr Cullinane said councillors needed to be involved in discussions to challenge negativity around the service.

A spokesperson from North Ayrshire council told healthandcare.scot that, following that meeting, the health and care partnership has been working “closely and collaboratively” with Phoenix Futures since the initial October meeting.

“We want to ensure that this new national development will positively meet the needs of individuals in North Ayrshire, therefore a wide range of professional groups have been engaged in planning discussions including our addictions, mental health, children and families, housing, education and adult/child protection services, as well as our primary care and pharmacy teams.”

The spokesperson added:

“Phoenix Futures has now successfully secured the premises in North Ayrshire, which will allow further engagement with the local community. The Health and Social Care Partnership will support the provider with local engagement to promote the positive impact of the new service.”

Phoenix Futures, which operates a similar family service in Sheffield, says North Ayrshire is an ideal location for the centre due to its highly integrated health and social care system and local expertise on drug addiction treatment.

Its Head of Operations in Scotland, Lyndsey Wilson-Hague, said: “We are committed to being good neighbours wherever we operate and we have a strong track record in supporting the communities in which we operate.

“Families return to their home local authority on completing the programme where aftercare support is in place to help them continue their recovery."

The drug minister told a parliamentary committee in September she hopes the North Ayrshire service will be the first of many new residential rehabilitation facilities.

The Scottish government has committed more than £250m to tackle drugs deaths over the next five years, £100m of which will go towards improving and increasing beds in residential rehabilitation.

 

Read more: Third sector promised part to play in drugs fight; New funds for drug services groups; 28-day drug therapy roll out follows prison success

 

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