This release by Public Health Scotland presents information on the provision of injecting equipment. This includes the number of outlets, attendances and the types of injecting equipment distributed to people who inject illicit drugs (including Novel Psychoactive Substances and Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs) in Scotland in 2020/21.

Main points

• In 2020/21, there were a total of 330 injecting equipment provision outlets in Scotland. This was an increase of 17% compared to 2019/20 (281) and the highest number recorded since data recording began in 2007/08.
• In 2020/21, changes in injecting equipment provision services due to direct and indirect consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to changes in the number of attendances at outlets and the distribution of injecting equipment.
• In 2020/21, there were 160,337 attendances reported by injecting equipment provision outlets, 26% fewer than in 2019/20 (215,957). This follows a steady decrease in attendances over the last five years.