Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) is working with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and other partners to develop a pilot Safer Drug Consumption Facility (SDCF). The service, which will be the first of its kind in the UK, will open later this year. We aim 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.

The service will be based at Hunter Street Health and Care Centre, and building work is progressing. While the building work is ongoing, we’ve been busy engaging with the local community, businesses, people with lived experience and potential service users and HSCP staff. This engagement is vital to the development and planned evaluation of the service in a number of ways.

Feedback from engagement sessions has contributed towards the planned establishment of a local engagement forum that will continue throughout the implementation and delivery of the service, allowing local community members to raise concerns. Engagement sessions with people who have lived experience also led to changes in the layout of the service itself, including:

• adding a secure outside area, accessed from the aftercare area, for service users in the hopes to increase their use of the aftercare support
• the addition of a shower room and clothing store to support people using the service

We also consulted with lived and living experience groups on a name for the new service. Following this consultation, the new service will be called ‘The Thistle’.

Lynn MacDonald, Service Manager, said: “Building work is progressing well and the fitting out process will soon begin, so we’re excited to see the service begin to take shape. The recruitment campaign has been a success with more than 700 applications received and staff will begin coming into post from mid-August. Key to this success were the recruitment events held prior to the roles being advertised as this allowed us to engage with a wide group of candidates and discuss the range of posts associated with the SDCF.”  
 
The engagement sessions also contributed towards the recruitment process, with feedback prioritising the importance of finding the right staff team leading to the addition of a lived experience panel to interview the candidates.  
 
Dan Daly, Operational Manager for the SDCF, said: “I look forward to working towards the opening of this new and innovative service within Hunter Street Health and Care Centre. Following a successful recruitment process - with the support of Lived Experience Reference Group members within our interview panels – we’re now creating a fully comprehensive training and induction plan for all staff members. We look forward to working closely with all services, promoting collaboration and inclusivity for all.”  
 
The SDCF is due to open later this year. For further information on the SDCF, including:

• finding out about upcoming engagement opportunities
• reading our Frequently Asked Questions,
• watch a short video on the SDCF

go to www.glasgowcity.hscp.scot/sdcf