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Delay in opening of UK's first drugs consumption room

Getty Images Interior of consumption room, showing four individual desks and chairs with a mirror, separated by divider screens. Each area contains a sharps box.Getty Images
The facility has space for eight people to use drugs safely under supervision

The opening date of the UK's first official consumption room for illegal drugs including heroin and cocaine has been delayed.

The Safer Drugs Consumption Facility on Hunter Street, Glasgow, was due to open on 21 October but has been pushed back while checks are carried out on the building.

The facility will allow people to consume illegal drugs under the supervision of clinicians 365 days a year from 09:00 until 21:00.

Glasgow City Council said all partners were working quickly to ensure the service was open as soon as possible.

A council spokesperson said: “We are close to opening the UK’s first Safe Consumption Drug Facility and like any project of this scale, there are complexities which need to be worked out.

“Whilst we haven’t been able to meet our estimated opening date, all partners continue to work at pace to ensure that we get this service open as soon as possible.

“This will happen once the building passes the stringent NHS Assure process which has been put in place to ensure public safety.”

Glasgow City Council Illustration showing the overhead layout of the safe consumption roomGlasgow City Council
Opening has been delayed to allow checks to be carried out on the Hunter Street building

NHS Assure is a service implemented in 2021 with the aim of improving the quality and management of healthcare construction and refurbishment projects in Scotland.

The safe consumption room was given the green light by Glasgow City Council in September 2023 with the backing of the Scottish government.

The east-end-based pilot scheme aims to tackle Scotland's drugs deaths crisis which claims more lives per head than anywhere else in Europe.

Drug death figures for 2023 revealed that 1,172 people died from drug misuse - up 121 on the previous 12 months, representing a 12% increase.

At the time, the council's convenor for homelessness and addiction Allan Casey said Scotland was in a public health emergency that required radical action.

He said the facility would help reduce fatal and non-fatal overdoses by providing a safe and clean place for people to use drugs, under the supervision of medical staff.

The space has booths for up to eight people to safely inject heroin or other drugs at any one time.

The Scottish government has agreed to make up to £2.3m a year available for the pilot.