Plans to offer heroin on the NHS in Aberdeen have moved a step closer to becoming reality.

Plans to offer heroin on the NHS in Aberdeen have moved a step closer to becoming reality. Aberdeen City Council’s top social worker has recommended councillors discuss prescribing heroin through NHS Grampian with the health board. Fred McBride, the authority’s director for social care and wellbeing, said in a report that the plans are worth further consideration.

The report is based on findings from a pilot in England where there was a “substantial reduction” in street drug use when addicts in London, Brighton and Darlington were given heroin.

Mr McBride warns that heroin prescriptions could cost three times as much as current treatments.

The report says: “Initial results show that with a very small cohort of patients who are already in treatment and where other treatment options have failed to impact there can be good outcomes achieved by providing injectable heroin and injectable methadone and that these are comparable, if not better, than optimised oral treatments.”

The report adds introducing heroin on prescription could have “significant implications”, including additional costs amounting to £15,000 per patient per year, compared to £5,000 for existing treatments.

The report recommends the issue be debated by the Alcohol and Drug Partnership, and suggests the forum considers if the treatment would be cost-effective.

Mr McBride wrote the report after the authority’s social care and wellbeing committee asked for more information after the plans were put forward in a motion from committee convener Jim Kiddie and councillor Gordon Leslie.

Councillor Kiddie said: “I am hoping the committee will give serious consideration to this report and will, as suggested, refer it for further debate.

“According to the trial, for some people heroin prescriptions are the way forward.

“Across every segment of the political spectrum there is growing agreement this should be looked at and that the current approach is not adequate.

“The drugs problem is huge, and if solutions like this can make a difference then they should be considered.”

Councillor Willie Young, who is also on the committee, said the issue should be left to the NHS to decide on.

He said: “We need to concentrate on what we are supposed to do and leave the NHS to do their job.

“We work with them when it is needed, but on this occasion we should leave the NHS to develop strategies for drug misuse and we should focus on our responsibilities.”

Senga Macdonald, manager of Drugs Action, which is part of Aberdeen’s Alcohol and Drugs Partnership, said: “I think it is very important to debate and consider any new evidence.

“Whilst there is clear evidence for methadone prescribing accompanied with a range of social support, this does not work for everyone.

“It is important that there are different options available and we keep an open mind to developments.”