Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 49
49
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 171
Replicate Scotland’s medication-assisted treatment standards in England to ensure consistent minimum care.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government replicate Scotland’s medication-assisted treatment standards in England to ensure that a consistent, minimum standard of care is available to people accessing opioid substitution treatment. In doing so, the 78 Drugs Government must first consult stakeholders in the medical and drug treatment and recovery sectors on adapting opioid substitution treatment standards in a manner appropriate to England.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government partially accepted the recommendation, stating it will review Scottish medication-assisted treatment standards to incorporate them into English guidance where appropriate, noting that England already uses a similar opioid substitution treatment self-assessment tool developed with stakeholder input.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
171
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted in Part
The Government partially accepts this recommendation. We are aware of the Scottish medication assisted treatment standards and wider international treatment standards. OHID will review these and incorporate them into English guidance where appropriate. In England, Opioid substitution treatment: service self-assessment tool for community drug and alcohol services is used.19 It was developed as part of an Opioid substitution treatment (OST) good practice programme that included an extensive 6- module eLearning package and a guide for keyworkers. Over 6,000 learners have completed the full e-learning package and rated it on average as 4.5 out of 5. The OST self-assessment tool covers OST-specific issues and broader treatment issues, with sets of quality questions that service managers or team leaders (working with service commissioners where useful) can answer, along with evidence and action needed. It therefore functions as a set of standards similar to the Scottish medication- 18 Overview | Methadone and buprenorphine for the management of opioid dependence | Guidance | NICE 19 Opioid substitution treatment: service self-assessment tool - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) assisted treatment standards. Stakeholders from four voluntary sector, seven NHS and one independent treatment providers, plus two local authorities and two lived experience lead organisations were involved in the development of these products. In addition, Drug Misuse and Dependence: UK Guidelines on Clinical Management published in 2017 ‘Orange Book’ provides guidance on the treatment of drug misuse and dependence in the UK. The guidance is based on current evidence and professional consensus on how to provide drug treatment for the majority of patients, in most instances, clinicians are expected to take the recommendations in the guidelines fully into account when exercising their judgement, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or service users. The Care Quality Commission uses these guidelines and others to inform its registration and inspection of drug treatment services, providing a further layer of assessment against standards. The Commissioning Quality Standard covers pharmacological interventions, including opioid substitution treatment but is a high-level framework for commissioning that will be supported with more detailed implementation products. We are concerned by reported shortages of prescribed diamorphine, particularly because of the serious impact they may have on the health and lives of patients. As prescribed diamorphine is a viable form of treatment in England, the Government must work with suppliers to ensure that a sustainable supply is available to patients whom clinicians deem suitable for it.
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