Injecting Equipment Provision in Scotland Survey 2011/12

This publication reports on the findings of the survey of injecting equipment provision (IEP) to people who inject drugs and relates to the financial year 2011/12. The survey was carried out by the Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland. The survey was originally commissioned in the context of Phase II of the Scottish Hepatitis C Action Plan1, which was funded by the Scottish Government and coordinated by Health Protection Scotland (HPS) The use of performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) in Scotland is posing a new challenge for the NHS after figures released today exposed their soaring use.

According to statistics from ISD Scotland, people injecting PIEDs now account for around a tenth of those who report to health services. It stated 93 per cent of injecting equipment provision outlets in Scotland now deal with such users, while the number of heroin addicts appears to be falling.

The Scottish Conservatives have warned that, if more people are taking performance enhancing drugs, the Scottish Government has to be ready for it. Despite the apparent drop in heroin use, nearly four million needles were handed out last year by the NHS, and this does not include the bulk of NHS Lothian’s figures, whose pharmacies did not submit data.

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