Plans for heroin injecting facilities for drug users in Scotland’s largest city are set to be approved.

Around 500 “very vulnerable people” are estimated to inject illegal drugs in public places in Glasgow city centre.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) in June set up a working group to explore the potential of piloting a drug-injecting facility and heroin-assisted treatment within the city centre.

In 2015, Glasgow City Council, Police Scotland and Community Safety Glasgow dealt with hundreds of instances of discarded needles and drug misuse in the city centre.

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There was an HIV outbreak in the city last year, with 47 new infections compared to the previously consistent annual average of ten. There have also been several other outbreaks of serious infectious diseases such as botulism and anthrax.

Proposals for heroin-assisted treatment, in which addicts would be given medical grade heroin to inject while being supervised by a medical professional, is also expected to be passed.

The plans will be considered by the Glasgow City Integration Joint Board on Monday and a report by the Glasgow City Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) to the board has recommended they are given the go-ahead.

The report recommends that the board “approve the development of a full business case for a co-located safer consumption facility and heroin assisted treatment service pilot in Glasgow city centre.”

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For the proposals to go forward the lord advocate must also provide guidance allowing an exemption from the Misuse of Drugs Act or make an amendment to the act.

This would legally approve the operation of a safer consumption facility in Glasgow.

The report says “discussions to allow the proposals to proceed are at an advanced stage with the Scottish Government and Crown Office representatives.”

Medically supervised drug injecting facilities have been running since the mid-1980s with 90 facilities across 61 cities currently running.

The majority are in Europe, there is one in Vancouver, one in Sydney and approval has been granted for facilities in Dublin and across France.

NHSGGC said the facilities “seek to contribute to a reduction in drug use in public places and the presence of discarded needles and other related public order problems linked with public injecting”.

It added: “They are clean, hygienic environments where people can inject drugs under clinical supervision.

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“The facilities provide sterile needles to reduce the risk of infections like HIV, assistance in the event of an overdose and provide linked up health services.”

Dr Emilia Crighton, director of public health at NHSGGC, and vice-chairwoman of the ADP, said: “We are decades behind other countries in the way we tackle this problem.

“In line with our current research, it’s clear we need to move beyond the current model in order to meet the needs of our communities and this very vulnerable group.

“In recent years Glasgow has been at the centre of outbreaks of anthrax, botulism and most recently HIV infection in people who inject drugs.

“This public injecting group has high rates of hospital admissions, incarceration and homelessness.

“Conventional treatment and services have not been as effective as we would want in reducing health risks and the resulting costs.

“Our ultimate goal is for drug users to recover from their addiction and remain drug free.

“However, until someone is ready to seek and receive help to stop using drugs it is important to keep them as safe as possible while do they continue to use drugs.”