Drugs and alcohol sees four young people admitted to Highland A&E each week on average

In the last three years more than four children and young people a week on average have been admitted to Highland A&E departments due to the effects of drugs or alcohol – but numbers appear to be declining.

Through Freedom of Information we asked NHS Highland to provide data for Raigmore Hospital and Caithness General Hospital based on categories used by A&E departments to classify admissions.

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There are four main classifications: accidental poisoning by and exposure to drugs; self-harm by and exposure to drugs; accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol; and alcohol problem or an alcohol-related incident.

Raigmore has the highest population catchment area so it is expected that it has the highest number of admissions: in 2022 a total of 227 young people were admitted, in 2023 it was 205 and last year it was 170.

Breaking down those numbers: accidental poisoning by drugs declined from 76 to 57 to 64; self-harm by drugs went from 114, to 106, to 79; accidental poisoning by alcohol was under five; and alcohol problem went from 33, to 38, to 23.

In Caithness the numbers for accidental poisoning by drugs went from 16 to 13 to 11; self-harm by drugs went from 12, to 15, to 12; accidental poisoning by alcohol zero then under five for two years; and alcohol problem went from eight, to six, to zero.

NHS Highland underlined that when it refers to “drugs” that can also mean legal, medicated substances like paracetamol as well as “illegally obtained material”.

The youngest presentations were an example of this as they were aged under one year of age meaning it was highly likely that this was an adverse reaction to calpol – which is specially formulated paracetamol for babies as young as two months.

The numbers come amid fears about rising drug consumption, drug deaths and drug-related activities in the region due to emergence in recent years of so-called County Lines gangs.

There have also been a growing number of voices expressing worries about the behaviour of some young people, yet these figures appear to fly in the face of those concerns.

Part of the reason for that could be the adoption of the so-called Icelandic Model that is based on the collaboration of numerous parties like parents, teachers, community centres, sports clubs and others to steer young people away from drug or alcohol consumption.

That collaboration stems from the Highland Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (HADP) which gathers Police Scotland, NHS Highland, the Scottish Prison Service, Highland Council and the Third Sector Interface to work together.

A spokesman for NHS Highland said: “The Highland Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (HADP) supports a range of prevention activity, including the Highland Substance Awareness Toolkit, an online resource with reputable alcohol and other drug information for young people, parents and carers and professionals.

“Particular resources of interest include our Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs: A Parent’s Guide, and lesson plans that are mapped to the Curriculum for Excellence. The Prevention and Intervention Model is useful in identifying support options.

“HADP is one partner in a programme of work to develop substance use pathways for 14-18 year olds. Planet Youth, a primary prevention, whole system approach, is currently planning for expansion in Highland.

“This effective approach developed in Iceland is already showing promising improvements for young people in Highland.”

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