A new project to deliver residential rehab support to people across the Highlands and Islands struggling with drug and alcohol use has received £2.4m government funding.

The new residential rehabilitation facility – Nevis House – has officially opened this week, expanding on charity CrossReach’s work at its existing site in Inverness.

CrossReach CEO Viv Dickenson said the charity is “delighted” that investment to open the new rehab places has reached rural areas:

“The centre will allow the expansion of the work of CrossReach in these areas to allow greater capacity in our residential recovery services enabling a quicker response when people come forward for help.

“We know from people with lived experience of our services that coming into residential rehabilitation is the next step on that all important journey of recovery, and sustained abstinence.

“This investment will not only save lives, but give people who have struggled with substance use issues a chance to rebuild their lives and look forward to the future with hope.”

It comes after a review of the national mission on Scotland’s drug crisis revealed poorer levels of support experienced in rural areas and ‘considerable’ unmet need residential rehab.

The new residential rehabilitation service will focus on supporting people from the Highlands and Western and Northern Isles to recover from drug and alcohol use.

In a survey, Public Health Scotland found almost half of Scots in rehab had found it difficult to get a place.

The government’s statistics show a rise in residential rehab bed capacity of 21% between 2021 and 2024.

Of the 513 residential rehab placements spaces across Scotland, a total of 42 were approved for funding under the Highland’s Alcohol and Drug Partnership in 2024-25.

Nevis House will provide six beds, equating to up to a further 22 placements a year. 

It will take referrals from more parts of the Highlands, the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland.

Eight projects

The £2.4m comes as part of over £38m wider funding for eight projects to increase residential rehab capacity across the country.

Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister, Maree Todd said 2024-25 funding is set to increase residential rehab placements to 913, making “good progress” towards the government’s 1,000-placement target by 2026.

She added:

“The second round of the Scottish government’s Residential Rehabilitation Rapid Capacity Programme was designed with the aim of supporting the development of residential rehab services outside the Central Belt, and I’m very pleased to see that this has been achieved with this project.

“Expanding residential rehab capacity is central to our National Mission on drugs and I’m grateful to all those who have worked hard to provide this additional service.

“We are also providing record levels of funding for drug and alcohol programmes, and widening access to treatment, and life-saving naloxone as well as residential rehabilitation.”

The next update on residential rehabilitation bed capacity will be published in the autumn.

 

Read more: Drug harms on the rise in Scotland; Citizens’ panel to help drugs crisis response; ‘Substantial' health harms of gambling to be tackled; Home adaptations – council spend will prevent NHS cost; Families to shape campaign against stigma; Law change needed for Scotland’s drug crisis; Watchdog criticises homelessness service cuts; A team sport: caring from the community up

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