Working with MIST to successfully implement MAT Standards to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for people affected by substance use in Scotland

For seven consecutive years Scotland’s annual drug-related deaths have reached record highs. Scotland’s Drug Deaths Taskforce has prioritised the introduction of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards to help reduce drug related harm and death while promoting recovery. 

The standards provide a framework to ensure that MAT is sufficiently safe, effective, acceptable, accessible and person-centred to enable people to benefit from treatment for as long as they need.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) will support the MAT Implementation Support Team (MIST), established by Public Health Scotland and the Scottish Government, by:

• Developing and delivering a MAT Standards National Learning System to spread learning between services
• Designing a national improvement programme for MAT Standards implementation
• Delivering an impact and implications assessment of MAT Standards on Pharmacy Services and medicines use, particularly within Community Pharmacy.

Support for MAT Implementation Support Team (MIST)

Healthcare Improvement Scotland's support to MIST will include: 

• providing specialist advice, guidance and coaching
• developing resources, learning models and approaches
• hosting workshops, events and discussions which bring together wider partners and stakeholders
• ensuring that digital spaces signpost to specific resources, information and support sources for the wider system
• designing and facilitating prototypes and learning networks for tests of change, and
• developing and nurturing communities of practice for those who design and deliver services locally and nationally.

Additional programme information 

To ensure everyone can benefit regardless of their characteristics or where they access care, we completed an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA). This highlights key equality issues that were considered and any actions we took in relation to them. A copy of our Equality Impact Assessment is available here: MAT Standards EQIA.

Quality Improvement in NHS Scotland uses logic modelling in our approach to evaluation. A copy of our Logic Model is available here: Improvement Support for MAT Standards Implementation Logic Model.

Get in touch

Email us at his.mat@nhs.scot if you have a question about Improvement Support for MAT Standards Implementation or if would like to speak to a member of the team about our work to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for people affected by substance use in Scotland.