Agenda item

To endorse Lancashire's Alcohol and Drugs Needs Assessment and associated action plan to agree how the Board can best support it.

Fiona Inston, Public Health, Lancashire County Council outlined to the Health and Wellbeing Board the progress made and next steps for the Lancashire Alcohol and Drug Partnership following the publication of the National Drug Strategy in 2021.  Further detailed information can be found in the report attached to the agenda.

The Board noted that an Alcohol and Drug Partnership had been formed in Lancashire and first convened in July 2022.  It is anticipated that the membership will engage and work with wider partners.  It has also been agreed that the new partnership will report to the Health and Wellbeing Board.

The national strategy required that a Local Joint Needs Assessment (Appendix 'A') be completed by November 2022 and the draft was presented at the Lancashire Alcohol and Drugs Partnership in November 2022 and was approved at the Partnership meeting on 14 December 2022.

The Board were provided with some highlights from the Joint Local Needs Assessment which includes that:

·  There are 4500 adults in drug treatment services. 

·  There is a significant about of unmet need for people using those services. 

·  The ambition is that by 2025 based on the baseline figures from 21 to 22, there will be an additional 2181 people through treatment services and that is the target that is being set nationally and to support some of the action additional funding has been received c £15 million over the next three years to supplement the work that is done in drug and treatment services.

·  The Family Needs Assessment worked in consultation with local partners where an action plan for delivery was formed which has 40 actions that are cross cutting across the three key priorities of the strategy.

·  The plan is to update the Partnership Group around the key action points, including:

Ø  Workplaces and how they support employers with treatment services.

Ø  How to address some of the stigma.

Ø  Education around alcohol eg underage sales, working with the trade and Trading Standards, however most young people get their alcohol from their parents, so work needs to be carried out with the parents around that.

Ø  There are eight Community Alcohol Partnerships across the County, and the ambition is to have one in each district across Lancashire.

Ø  Discussions also need to take place with people who are not access treatment services to understand the barriers.

Ø  How to work with the prison and probation service?

Ø  How to influence the national policy for licensing?

Following the presentation, the following comments/issues were raised:

·  The Joint Needs Assessment captures the 12 Lancashire Districts however there are references to other neighbouring Districts ie Blackpool.

·  A query was raised as to how substance misuse was ascertained in terms of canisters.  It was agreed that Fiona Inston would seek further clarification regarding this and reply to County Councillor Cullens outside of the meeting.  A request was also made to highlight particular hotspots also.

·  Visits are planned for Year 9 pupils to speak about drug and alcohol misuse as well as self-harm and if they are aware of services available to them.

Resolved:  That the Health and Wellbeing Board endorsed the Lancashire Alcohol and Drugs Needs Assessment (Appendix 'A') and the steps being taken to implement the national drugs plan to cut crime and save lives.