THE founders of the Castle Craig Hospital in Peeblesshire are this week opening a new inpatient clinic in Ireland.

Smarmore Castle Private Clinic has been established to make treatment accessible for Scottish patients who are unable to get funding for residential rehab through the NHS.  Under the rules of the EU cross-border healthcare directive, Scottish residents will be able to claim funding for their treatment costs at Smarmore Castle from the NHS.

“People with addictions in Scotland have a right to their choice of a safe and effective treatment, as with any other illness,” said Peter McCann, co-founder of Castle Craig and Smarmore Castle. “Thanks to this new initiative, patients will be able to get the best addiction care, without having to pay vast sums for it, and without spending months on waiting lists.”

Smarmore Castle, a country house with a 14th century tower, has been renovated to create an impressive environment dedicated to treating alcohol and drug addiction. The inpatient clinic, based in County Louth, Republic of Ireland, features 22 beds, a large leisure and fitness centre and 15 acres of grounds. It is a 45 minute drive from Dublin.

“People suffering from addictions are offered residential rehab as a treatment of last resort, often after years of failed treatment in the community.  But long-term drug and alcohol abuse takes a serious toll on a patient’s body and in particular their brain, and it makes recovery a lot harder to achieve,” said Peter McCann, who has been a long-standing critic of the government’s approach to treating drug and alcohol problems.  “I hope that by establishing this new clinic, we can help more Scots access the highest quality treatment possible, as early as possible.” said Peter McCann.

Patients at Smarmore Castle Private Clinic will be under the care of a highly experienced medical team, including a Consultant Psychiatrist and an addiction specialist GP, as well as clinical psychologist Nathan Rogerson, who is the clinic’s manager.

Smarmore Castle will adopt Castle Craig’s internationally regarded treatment model.  Treatment at Smarmore Castle will  include medical and psychiatric assessment, detoxification as well as specialist therapies including 12 step facilitation and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

This model of care has been developed over 30 years ago by Dr Margaret Ann McCann, Dr Margaret Ann McCann, co-founder of both Castle Craig and Smarmore.  A recent outcomes study of patients who had attended Castle Craig found 73 per cent had successfully remained abstinent, whilst 92 per cent showed an overall improvement.