THE Fife Health and Care Partnership has hit back at claims that funding has been slashed in the Kingdom for its drug and alcohol services.

Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Roz McCall had expressed "deep concern" of a £4m reduction in the funding following a freedom of information request.

She said that despite a rise in drug deaths in the region of 24 per cent, cash or drug and alcohol services dropped from £11.2 million in 2021/22 to just £7.2 million by 2023/24.

“This cut is simply indefensible, at a time when the number of drug-related deaths in Fife is skyrocketing," she said. "While other health boards are increasing their funding to fight this crisis, Fife is moving in the wrong direction.

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"Our communities deserve better, and these cuts must be reversed immediately. We cannot allow more lives to be lost because vital services are being stripped away.”

However, a spokesperson for Fife Health and Social Care Partnership, said there had been no recent reduction in the funding of addiction services.

“NHS Fife and Fife Health and Social Care Partnership are part of the Fife Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (Fife ADP), which sees the various public partners work together with voluntary agencies to ensure a co-ordinated approach to reducing drug harms locally," they said.

“The funding of drug and alcohol services Fife comes from a variety of sources, including NHS Fife, Fife Council and Scottish Government. But the way funding streams are reported to the Scottish Government was changed from 2022-2023 onwards.

"So the figures quoted by Roz McCall MSP account for only part of the overall funding of drug and alcohol services, with the financial disparity due only to changes in the ways that the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership are required to record these funding streams.

“Through the Fife ADP, all partners remain committed to providing good quality drug and alcohol services. This not only relies on appropriate funding of these services but also ensuring our approach is innovative, pragmatic, and aimed squarely on reducing the significant harms caused by drugs and excessive alcohol consumption.”