0000-0001-6704-6642 About
Andy has 30 years’ experience in the alcohol and drug, criminal justice and homelessness sectors and is an expert in the evaluation and review of a wide range of policies, services, and systems – at local, national and international levels. For the past 20 years he has been running his own health and social care research and consultancy company and regularly leads work that focuses on the views and experiences of those individuals and families who require support from health and social care interventions.
Since 2017, Andy has led or contributed to a variety of high-profile, national evaluation and research studies across the UK. He has also led a four-year (2022-2026) evaluation study of The World Health Organization’s ‘Evidence into Action on Alcohol Project (EVID-ACTION)’, sponsored by the European Commission. Other significant projects include:
• Leading an evaluation of changes to family support for those affected by someone else’s drug use since the introduction of the Scottish Government’s National Drug Deaths Mission, as part of Public Health Scotland’s evaluation of The Scottish Government’s National Mission on Drugs (completed March 2026).
• Leading an evaluation of the Edinburgh MAT Titration Clinic (completed March 2026).
• Leading an evaluation of the £3.2m Digital Lifelines Scotland programme on behalf of the Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre (completed May 2025).
• Co-leading an evaluation of £6.1m Scottish Government Drug Deaths Taskforce funding for test of change projects (via the DDTF Innovation Fund) on behalf of CORRA/Scottish Government (completed May 2025).
• Principal and Co-Investigators on three, five-year research studies in relation to the impact of Minimum Pricing for Alcohol implementation in Wales on behalf of the Welsh Government (completed February 2025).
• Principal Investigator/Co-Investigator on an evaluation of additional £10m funding for inpatient detoxification programmes across England (NIHR/OHID funded study) – in collaboration with Professor Jo Neale and colleagues, Kings College London (completed November 2024).
• Co-Investigator on a needs assessment study to explore the potential for safer drug consumption facilities in Edinburgh (completed January 2024).
• Principal and Co-Investigator on an ‘Exploring demand for, and perceptions of, residential rehabilitation among people who use drugs across Scotland’ study on behalf of Public Health Scotland (2022-23).
• Co-Investigators on the five year ‘Evaluation of the impact of Minimum Unit Pricing of Alcohol on Scotland’s Harmful Drinkers’ study (2022), on behalf of Public Health Scotland – in collaboration with Professor John Holmes and colleagues, University of Sheffield.
• Principal Investigator/Co-Investigator on an ‘Understanding substance use (alcohol, drugs and tobacco) and the wider support needs of Scotland’s prison population’ study (2022) on behalf of the Scottish Government.
• Co-investigators on a Scottish Government Drug Deaths Taskforce funded research study exploring the perceptions and attitudes of senior decision makers across Scotland in regard to the implementation of drug consumption rooms (2020-21) – in collaboration with Professor Tessa Parkes and colleagues, University of Stirling.
• Facilitation and support of the four year (2018-2022) Independent Dundee Drug Commission.
• Co-investigators of a Scottish Government Drug Deaths Taskforce funded research study exploring the perceptions and attitudes of senior decision makers across Scotland in regard to the implementation of drug consumption rooms (2020-21) – in collaboration with Professor Tessa Parkes and colleagues, University of Stirling.
• Provided analytical support to Welsh Government as their Minimum Unit Pricing Bill passed through various stages in the Welsh Assembly (2018).
Andy has formerly managed alcohol and drug residential treatment and in-prison programmes for men, women and children, and young offenders over a ten year period (1995-2005).
Employment
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Figure 8 Consultancy Services Ltd Director2007 - Present
Education
Education history is unavailable.
Projects & Funding
Projects & funding information is unavailable.
Publications (13)
- Effective adaptations in Individual Placement and Support delivery: lessons from the drug and alcohol treatment context Save
- Feelings and emotions associated with job searching and working amongst people receiving treatment for alcohol and other drugs Save
- “You’re not informed unless you make it your business”: insights from a Scottish national study exploring attitudes towards residential rehabilitation Save
- The impact of Scotland's minimum unit pricing for alcohol policy on people accessing services for alcohol dependence: A difference‐in‐difference structured interview study Save
- Inpatient detoxification for alcohol and other drug use: qualitative study of patients’ accounts of their relationships with staff Save
- Waiting for inpatient detoxification: A qualitative analysis of patient experiences Save
- Expected and actual responses to minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol of people drinking at harmful levels in Scotland Save
- Views on minimum unit pricing for alcohol before its introduction among people with alcohol dependence in Scotland: A qualitative interview study Save
- ‘Why would we not want to keep everybody safe?’ The views of family members of people who use drugs on the implementation of drug consumption rooms in Scotland Save
- Drug Consumption Rooms and Public Health Policy: Perspectives of Scottish Strategic Decision-Makers Save