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12. Establishment of a National Confidential Inquiry
RECOMMENDATION 15
A National 'Preventing Drug-related Deaths Forum' should be established with a remit to report to Ministers annually on trends and causes of drug-related deaths in Scotland. |
The Executive supports this recommendation and will establish a National Forum to report annually to Ministers.
The Executive is now represented on the steering group of np-SAD which reports annually on UK trends and patterns of drug use, and also provides early warnings of emerging drug problems. GROS is also represented on this group and the SDEA now provides data input on Scottish deaths. Information gained from representation on np-SAD will be fed into the National Forum.
TAKING ACTION
- The Executive will establish a National Forum to look at trends, causes and good practice in preventing drug-related deaths. The forum will report annually to Ministers.
- The DAT Association will re-establish their Drug-related Deaths Working Group, which produced the 2005 report 15. The group will promote wider adoption of good practice already developed in some ADAT areas and monitor progress.
13. Toxicological Findings and Circumstances of Death
RECOMMENDATION 16
In order to enable a long term, meaningful interpretation of post-mortem toxicological data, Procurators Fiscal, who instruct autopsies on these deaths, should insist that the pathologists carrying out the autopsies follow a nationally agreed protocol based on an agreed best practice model. |
The Executive broadly supports this recommendation however, as lawyers, Procurators Fiscal are unable to advise senior pathologists on the best methods to obtain, analyse and interpret the results of samples collected for drug deaths. Any protocol would have to be agreed between medical practitioners and supported by their professional bodies.
TAKING ACTION
- The Executive will explore this further through Fiscal contacts and the Crown Office.
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