Edinburgh recovery service adds 600 rehab placements with peer-led support

What is the background?

The Lothian and Edinburgh Abstinence Programme (LEAP), run through NHS Lothian, is Scotland’s only NHS-funded residential rehabilitation service. Addiction recovery Edinburgh services like LEAP have expanded as part of a national commitment to increase rehab bed capacity across Scotland by 50%, to 650 beds, by 2026.

What happened?

NHS Lothian received around £5 million in funding to create capacity for 600 additional placements over five years at LEAP. The funding also increases detoxification capacity at the Ritson clinic from eight beds to twelve.

The expansion places a greater focus on vulnerable groups and introduces paid peer-bridger roles, employing people with their own lived experience of addiction to support others at the start of recovery.

How did it happen?

LEAP became Scotland’s first NHS-funded rehab centre to employ peer-bridgers, six of whom have their own experience of addiction. Peer-bridgers work directly in the community, acting as a link between community addiction services and residential rehab, helping people navigate the system at the point they most need support.

The funding sits alongside a wider Scottish Government push: more than £11 million was awarded to two separate drugs projects to expand residential rehabilitation capacity nationally, part of the target to reach 650 beds across Scotland by 2026.

Why does it matter?

Peer-bridger roles address a specific gap: people leaving community services often fall through the cracks before they reach residential rehab, and someone who has lived through addiction themselves can build trust faster than a purely clinical handoff. Paying peer-bridgers, rather than relying on informal volunteer support, recognises that lived experience is a real qualification.

Increasing Ritson clinic detox beds from eight to twelve directly increases how many people can access medically supervised detox at any one time, reducing waiting periods before residential treatment can begin.

What were the key results?

• Around £5 million secured for NHS Lothian’s LEAP recovery service
• 600 additional rehabilitation placements funded over five years
• Ritson detoxification clinic capacity increased from 8 to 12 beds
• Six peer-bridgers recruited, each with personal experience of addiction recovery
• LEAP became Scotland’s first NHS-funded rehab centre to employ peer-bridgers
• More than £11 million awarded nationally to expand residential rehab elsewhere in Scotland
• Part of a national target to increase rehab beds in Scotland by 50%, to 650, by 2026

What happens next?

NHS Lothian plans to track outcomes for the first cohorts supported through the expanded LEAP placements.

The Scottish Government said it will report on national progress toward the 650-bed target later in 2026.

Peer-bridgers are expected to expand their community reach as the programme matures beyond its first recruits.

Addiction support charities in Edinburgh said they will monitor whether the funding increase reduces local waiting times for residential rehab places.