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Drug and Alcohol Treatment Waiting Times

"Data are presented on referrals and waiting times for people accessing specialist drug and alcohol services in Scotland. Information available includes waiting times for drug and alcohol treatment referrals where the person either started treatment during the quarter (a completed wait) or were waiting to start treatment at the end of the quarter (an ongoing wait). In addition, information describing the referrals received, the demographics of people starting treatment and the types of treatments started is also available.

Data includes breakdowns by NHS Board, Alcohol and Drug Partnership, service type (community-based, prison-based, and hospital-based) and the substance(s) people sought help for. "

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Source Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy) and the Drug and Alcohol Waiting Times (DATWT) Database.
Author Drugs Team, Public Health Scotland
Last Updated September 30, 2025, 09:49 (BST)
Created September 27, 2022, 10:06 (BST)
Contact Address Public Health Scotland Drugs Team, Gyle Square, 1 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh EH12 9EB
Subject Drug and Alcohol Treatment Waiting Times
Frequency Quarterly
Time frame of data and timeliness 1 quarter in arrears
Coverage Drug and alcohol treatment waiting times data are available for each quarter starting from 1 April 2011 to the most recent quarter. Data are broken down by NHS Board, Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADP), service type (community based, prison based, or hospital based), and substance type (alcohol, drugs, or co-dependency involving both alcohol and drugs).
Completeness Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) have the responsibility of ensuring services are submitting accurate and up-to-date information. Services are excluded from these data tables where ADPs were unable to confirm that their data were accurate and up-to-date. Details on the number of individual services within ADPs that have been excluded due to the absence of complete data can be found in the quarterly publications (see link 1 below).
Accuracy Quality checks are conducted by Public Health Scotland. Figures are compared to previously published data and expected trends.
Continuity of data These data were extracted from the Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy) and its predecessor the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Waiting Times (DATWT) database. DAISy introduced changes to how data is captured and these should be kept in mind when making comparisons with historic data. First, a "co-dependency" user type was added for cases where the referral relates to treatment for both alcohol and drug use. Second, a new continuation of care process was introduced, which affects how referrals are recorded when people move between services. It is anticipated that this will result in a decrease in the number of new referrals being recorded in DAISy compared to previous processes in place for the DATWT database.
Disclosure The Public Health Scotland Statistical Disclosure Control Protocol was followed (see link 2 below).
Revision statement All data are revised quarterly to reflect any changes and to ensure the most complete information is presented. From the Q1 2025/26 release onwards, the Open Data time series coverage has changed: instead of a rolling five‑quarter window, the files now provide a cumulative series starting from the quarter beginning 1 April 2011. Historical values may therefore appear for additional quarters not previously included. Figures contained within each release may be subject to change in future releases as data submissions from ADPs may be updated to confirm data for services are accurate and up-to-date.
Official statistics designation National Statistics
Relevance and key uses of the statistics Relevant to understanding access to specialist drug and alcohol treatment services. Waiting times are important to patients and are a high profile measure of how the NHS in Scotland is responding to demand for services. Statistics will be used for policy making, service planning, and research. They are also of wider public interest.
Format csv
Language English
Links

"1) https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20553 2) https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/public-health-scotland-statistical-disclosure-protocol/public-health-scotland-statistical-disclosure-protocol-version-22/"