A city charity is working to get people into drug rehab but is facing a lack of available beds.

Glasgow City Mission has set up the Rehab Pathways service with funding from the Scottish Government.

But despite dealing with almost 100 people, has only been able to secure funding for one state rehab placement.

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The service manager said that it relies heavily on voluntary and church organisations for places.

Rehab Pathways has made 12 successful referrals to statutory short term (21day) stabilisation.

It has secured eight successful referrals to faith based rehabs and five successful referrals to community based programs. It is supporting seven people in aftercare.

Glasgow City Council said the HSCP commissions 14 “Crosreach abstinence based residential” beds and is looking to increase the number of available spaces this year and next.

As at February 22 there were 13 service users in a HSCP funded abstinence based residential rehab bed, with 6 people undertaking detox in a hospital setting to support transfer to Crossreach.

Glasgow City HSCP said it also commissions 16 Stabilisation residential beds, 20 Crisis Service Residential beds, 21 Move On residential beds, and 38 beds specifically for people with Alcohol Related Brain Damage across three Residential Services.

In 2020 there were 291 drug related deaths in Glasgow and an estimated 20,000 problem drug users.

David Harper, Rehab Pathways manager, said they are working to a person centred care model to see the potential in people and work with them before and after rehab to help them become well again.

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But while the are supporting people before and ready to offer help afterwards there is not enough rehab and not enough services to deal with the demand and scale of the problem.

He said: “We pick up a referral, a course of action is agreed, engagement with addiction team, then try to get funding for a rehab bed.

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“The more important part is catching them at the other end, to get good quality housing.

“There are limited beds in the city, different approaches, it’s not necessarily a joined up approach. There is a gap.”

“If we made a bigger investment now, longer term it could save money and use less resources.

“We need to give someone the right chance to get well then to become a member of a community again.”

He added there are many people, who have the lived experience, who could be helping others get better.

He said: “We have got a whole army of people who could be doing the job I’m doing. But we won’t realise the potential if we don’t give them the right environment to get well.

“Teams are working hard doing a brilliant job with limited resources. We need more services.

“People can be working, learning and paying tax, not just managing to exist and survive on a script.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a lottery but its not far short of being a lottery.”

Rehab Pathways has supported more than 90 men. David said he has had rehab funding for one man but he is still waiting for a place, adding “demand for beds is so high.”

He said: “We get people into recovery fellowships. That’s the cart before the horse.”

Tim O’Connor, Rehab Pathways support worker, explained how they reach people.

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He said: “We get people from the drop in service, from the street teams and from the overnight welcome centre, around three to five a week.

“We need more access to rehab and more beds.”

A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council, said:”Glasgow City HSCP intend to increase residential rehabilitation further in 2023 whilst working alongside Greater Glasgow and Clyde Alcohol and Drug Services to consider a board wide action plan for residential rehabilitation. Glasgow City are also reviewing residential pathways and providers in this work.

"Our experience is the increase in demand for residential services tends to be for Crisis residential service, which provides crisis interventions at the point of presentation for people who are at risk in the community, and Stabilisation residential services that supports detox from street drugs and stabilisation on Medication Assisted Treatment whilst assessing mental and physical health needs."