Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) is working to implement a pilot Safer Drug Consumption Facility (SDCF) that will be the first of its kind in the UK.

SDCFs are evidence-based supervised health and social care settings where people can inject drugs, obtained elsewhere, in the presence of trained professionals in clean, hygienic environments. The service aims to reduce the harms associated with injecting drugs, and support people to access help to improve their lives and to reduce the negative impact that injecting outdoors has on local residents, communities and businesses.

A bereaved mother explained how vital services like this could have been for her son: “I wish this service had been in place before my beloved son lost his life through a drug overdose which has devastated his family. At least he could have gained greater knowledge and understanding of the drugs he used without being judged or stigmatised if he had used a service such as this. Furthermore, people can be encouraged and supported to change their lives if they’re accessing a service that does not drive drug using underground”.

The HSCP want to talk to and hear the views of as many people, groups and organisations as possible that might have an interest in this service. Engagement is already underway but will continue throughout the implementation of the service, and once it’s up and running.

Kelda Gaffney, Head of Adult Services for Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services said: “A huge thank you to everyone who has taken time to attend the engagement sessions so far, which have been targeted at community members, family members, potential service users and others impacted by the service. We’ve found the sessions to be an incredibly useful way to discuss the service, respond to questions and concerns and listen to feedback that’s helping inform service development. We would encourage anyone with an interest in the Safer Drug Consumption Facility to join us at a future engagement session to find out more”.

The SDCF is due to open in summer 2024. For further information on the service or upcoming engagement opportunities, or to read the FAQs or watch our short video about the SDCF, visit our webpage glasgowcity.hscp.scot/sdcf.

We’ll shortly be recruiting for the SDCF – keep an eye on our vacancies page or social media for the roles.