Tel : 01294 323183
Fax : 01294 323188
e-mail : enquiries@adat.org.uk

The role of Ayrshire and Arran Alcohol and Drug Action Team (ADAT) is to co-ordinate strategy in order to reduce the harm rising from alcohol/drug problems and was formed as a result of the 1994 publication Report of the Ministerial Drugs Task Force Drugs in Scotland.

The Report expressed the concern that drug misuse is an escalating problem in Scotland, which must be addressed by society as a whole.

The response needed to be multi-agency and multi-disciplinary. The reports stated that Drug Action Teams, consisting of a small steering group of senior 'key players' who have the capacity to influence agencies, should be set up to lead and co-ordinate local methods to tackle drug misuse. Similar recommendations concerned with the misuse of alcohol were previously outlined in The then Scottish Office NHS Circular (Gen) 28 (1989), thus in 1995, it was decided to combine the Alcohol and Drug Planning Committees to establish the Ayrshire and Alcohol Drug Action Team.The role of ADAT is to co-ordinate strategy in order to reduce the harm rising from alcohol/drug problems.

The guiding principles of ADAT are :

To raise awareness
To promote best practice and set standards
To maximise the use of inter agency resources
To promote Health and seamless Health/Social Care
To promote user and carer participation

The area of Ayrshire and Arran stretches from Largs in the north to Ballantrae in the south and from the west coast to Muirkirk and Cumnock in the east and includes the islands of Arran and Cumbrae. Ayrshire and Arran comprises of three Local Authority areas - North, East and South.

East Ayrshire has a population of 120,630,
North Ayrshire has a population of 138,850
South Ayrshire has a population of 113,950

A total population of almost 374,000.