Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards - Learning System Resource Library

The resources linked below have been shared by health and social care services from across Scotland to support the delivery of MAT Standards. Where possible we have included contact details for the resource author, if you would like to query a resource without a designated contact please email us at his.mat@nhs.scot.

If you would like to share any resources which you have found helpful please get in touch with us at his.mat@nhs.scot.

Supplementary to this page, NES workforce development resources on TURAS provides a suite of informational, learning and development resources essential for the alcohol and drug workforce, from trauma-informed practice and psychosocial psychological interventions like Motivational Interviewing to mental health, working with children and families, and reducing alcohol and drug-related deaths. The resources include those developed by NES and links to other organisations. TURAS Learn is available to all practitioners and volunteers in the third sector, social care and the NHS. All that is needed to register is an email address. Please follow this link to create an account.

MAT Standard 1: Same Day Access

1. New Initiation and Re-Starts of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) (for treatment of naive and experienced opiate dependency individuals). East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership have produced a standard operating procedure on re-initiation and re-starting of MAT treatment. For further support with this resource please contact: Mary.Wilson@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk

MAT Standard 2: Choice

1. Prescribing Guidelines for Medication Assisted Treatment with Opioid Substitution Therapy. NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde have produced prescribing guidelines related to MAT. This resource may be helpful to services looking to create similar guidelines of treatment with Opioid Substitution Therapy. For further support with this resource please contact: Catriona.ritchie@ggc.scot.nhs.uk 

MAT Standard 3: Assertive Outreach & Anticipatory Care

1. Standard Operating Procedure: Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services (ADRS) Crisis Outreach Service (Glasgow City). A standard operating procedure produced by Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services (ADRS) and Crisis Outreach Service (Glasgow City). This resource focuses on ‘Reducing Risk and Maintaining Treatment for Individuals Released from Custody’. If you have any questions about this resource, please contact: claire.kerr6@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

2. Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services: Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) Meeting Operational Process. Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services created a Meeting Operational Process for multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs). This resource provides guidance on supporting this forum space to assist in the safe planning and management of casework. If you have any questions about this resource, please contact: claire.kerr6@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

3. Service Specification: Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services Crisis Outreach Service (Glasgow City HSCP). A service specification document produced by the Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services Crisis Outreach Service at Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership. This resource may help teams to develop a similar framework of principles and ethos that considers discharge planning, referral pathways, services offered, and monitoring and evaluation. If you have any questions about this resource, please contact: claire.kerr6@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

MAT Standard 4: Harm Reduction

1. Standard operating procedure: assessing and implementing harm reduction (HR) interventions as part of clinical drugs treatment. A standard operating procedure created to assess and implement harm reduction interventions as part of clinical drugs treatment. This resource may be helpful in introducing a harm reduction approach to new and existing medication assisted treatment interventions. 

2. Cocaine Toolkit. A guidance document produced by NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde for its Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services (ADRS) staff. This resource provides educational content and practical tools that staff can use directly with individuals. This guidance was developed with peer volunteers and people with lived or living experience. If you have any questions about this resource, please contact: Catriona.ritchie@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

3. Guidance: MAT standards informed response for benzodiazepine harm reduction.  Guidance produced by Public Health Scotland which sets out key principles for staff working with those with high risk of drug related harms. It may be of particular relevance for those in specialist treatment services who regularly engage with people using street benzodiazepines as well as opioids. If you have any questions about this resource, please contact: PHS.comms@phs.scot

MAT Standard 5: Retention

Resources coming soon.

MAT Standards 6 and 10: Psychological Support & Trauma Informed Care

1. Delivery of Psychological Interventions and Trauma Informed Care across NHS Ayrshire & Arran Drug and Alcohol Services: Baseline Assessment, Evidence Report and Support Plan (Updated version to follow). A delivery plan produced by NHS Ayrshire & Arran for its Drug & Alcohol services. This resource details progress in implementing a model for delivering psychological interventions and trauma informed care with development plans for future progress across services. If you have any questions about this resource, please contact: laura.mitchell4@aapct.scot.nhs.uk 

    

MAT Standard 7: Primary Care

The guides are intended to support clinicians across the multidisciplinary team and people receiving antidepressant, benzodiazepine and z-drug medication in shared decision-making and the effective use of medicines and offers practical advice and options for tailoring care to the needs and preferences of individuals. Developed by Scottish Government with experts from NHS Scotland, academics and experts by experience, these guides aim to ensure appropriate prescribing to improve the care of individuals receiving antidepressant, benzodiazepine and z-drug medication, optimise treatment outcomes and promote a holistic approach to person-centred care. The development of these guides supports the delivery of one of the recommendations of the short life working group on prescription medicine and withdrawal which reviewed antidepressant use across Scotland and involved clinical stakeholders and people with lived experience.

1. Quality Prescribing for Antidepressants: A Guide for Improvement 2024-2027 Antidepressant prescribing continues to increase in Scotland with one in five adults receiving one or more antidepressant prescriptions in a year. The number of people receiving long-term antidepressant treatment has continued to increase with more than half of those prescribed antidepressants (six in ten adults) receiving long-term (≥2 years) treatment). Some of this prescribing is appropriate in providing people with better courses of treatment and enabling better outcomes, however some long-term use of antidepressants may be inappropriate, where medication is no longer required or where non-pharmacological treatment options may be preferred.  For further support with this resource please contact: EPandT@gov.scot

2. Quality Prescribing for Benzodiazepines and z-drugs - A Guide for Improvement 2024-2027 Benzodiazepine and z-drug (B-Z) prescribing continues to slowly reduce across Scotland. Despite this, B-Z prescribing remains a challenge. It is recognised that B-Z can provide some benefits in the treatment of insomnia and some anxiety disorders in the short term, however, there is increased mortality associated with B-Z use in a range of populations and their use is associated with tolerance, dependence and avoidable medicine related harms. They are associated with an increased incidence of depressive symptoms and can have a cumulative effect when used together with other sedating medication, such as opioids or gabapentinoids, increasing the risk of medicine related harms.  For further support with this resource please contact: EPandT@gov.scot

MAT Standard 8: Independent Advocacy & Social Support

Resources coming soon.

MAT Standard 9: Mental Health

1. NHS Forth Valley Interface and Shared Care between Substance Use Services and other Mental Health and Learning Disability Services. NHS Forth Valley have produced guidance on the interface and shared care between services in substance use, mental health, and learning disability. This resource provides practical guidance for staff on navigating processes and systems. For further support with this resource please contact: elaine.brown13@nhs.scot
2. NHS Forth Valley Shared Care Guideline for Specialist Mental Health Services. This guidance on shared care was developed by NHS Forth Valley. This resource may be helpful to teams developing the process for managing care where more than one specialist service may be involved in providing care, with no existing shared care agreement in place. For further support with this resource please contact: elaine.brown13@nhs.scot

3. Adult Mental Health & Addictions Service Shared Guidance & Specification for Interface Working. A guidance document produced by NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde to support clinical staff working across Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services (ADRS) and Mental Health services. This resource may be helpful in offering guidance to respond effectively to patients experiencing complex comorbidity across substance use and mental health. If you have any questions about this resource, please contact: Saket.priyadarshi@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

4. Substance use amongst inpatients on mental health wards: Practical guide for mental health services. Guidance published by the Scottish government on response to substance use on mental health wards. To be used by Mental Health Services and NHS health boards in conjunction with existing local guidance for responding to substance use incidents on inpatient wards.