On new Year’s Day, funding will be withdrawn from third party bodies across the council area – including £90,000 for Helensburgh Addiction Rehabilitation Team (HART) - after a £1.4m contract tendered by Argyll and Bute Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP) was awarded to London-based charity Addaction.

Les Rutter, chairman of the Service Users Recovery Group (SURG) – which represents about 20 HART clients – said the move will be ‘traumatic’ for service users. He added that there will be no out of hours crisis cover.

He told the Advertiser: “HART is more than a lifeline — without it some of us are going to die.” Mr Rutter added: “There has been a lack of continuity through the process for what is a massive change to life for service users.

“Addiction, alcoholism kills. It breaks up families, and in the early stages it causes social chaos for the NHS and social work. People in recovery slip but they keep coming back to HART.” Questions have also been raised over the tendering process and Jackie Baillie, Helensburgh and Lomond MSP, has called on Audit Scotland to review the matter.

Ms Baillie added that local service users have been left ‘completely in the dark’ during the tendering process.

She added: “It’s disgraceful that vulnerable people in Helensburgh still do not know who they can turn to for help once the service which they rely on is disbanded in the new year.

“Argyll and Bute Council has serious questions to answer about the process and the decision to award the contract to Addaction Scotland. I find it difficult to believe that one organisation working across the whole of Argyll and Bute can offer the same level of service with less staff and resources than local providers.” A spokesman for NHS Highland on behalf on the Argyll and Bute Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP) maintained the tendering process was ‘open and robust’.

He said: “Awarding the contracts to Addaction Scotland will give stability and security by running over a three-year period rather than annually. In addition, a national provider will increase opportunities to benefit from best practice elsewhere and share it across all areas of Argyll and Bute so that support can be more effectively planned and developed to match the needs of service users.” There are around 12 service users referred by ADP at HART who will be affected directly by the contract change, however half of the service users locally have refused to sign over their personal details to Addaction.

This means that under Self Directed Support HART could still potentially support to these clients, and bill ADP for the cost.

The future of HART staff also hangs in the balance, with only two out-of-town members receiving confirmation of employment with Addaction – who will employ eight workers across Argyll and Bute.

Jim Walker, managing director of HART, made assurances that the service will continue to provide support to those who need it for as long as possible, whilst exploring other avenues of funding.

Mr Walker said: “It’s very sad that the people who are suffering, and the people who want to remain in the background, are not able to make their voice heard.

“It’s very important that we don’t let this situation get on top of these people at this time of year – the worst time for most service users.” A spokesman for Addaction said they will engage every service user from the point of their contact within a 72 hour period.

He added; “We do not expect people to travel to our bases to access support as we work with people in their own community settings including their own homes.

“Our aim for this service is that no matter where people live they will have access to the same high quality care and supported delivered by a skilled and committed workforce.”