This report updates the Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee on the progress in the delivery of three grant allocations from central Government to tackle drug-related harms as part of the National Drug Strategy (2021).

These are:

- The ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery) Programme

- Inpatient Detox funding

- The Individual Placement Support (IPS) programme (an employment support programme).

The report briefs the committee on the continuation of the Inpatient Detox, and IPS programmes and confirmed funding allocations for 2023/24, and the replacement of the ADDER grant with the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery grant (SSMTR) for 2023/24 and 2024/25. In addition, under the National Drugs Strategy local areas have been mandated to establish Combatting Drugs Partnerships to oversee and co-ordinate local delivery of the national strategy.

The report updates the committee on the successful establishment of the Wirral Combatting Drugs Partnership and provides an update on the work underway to produce a drug strategy for Wirral, which will shape future work to reduce drug-related harms

Resolved – That

1. the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery (SSMTR) grant funding of £2,267,750 for 2023/24 from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) be accepted and the proposed delivery plan for this funding be approved.

2. the proposed utilisation of the 2023/24 Inpatient Detoxification (IPD) grant of £111,364 be approved.

3. the continuation of the Individual Placement Support Grant of £145,800 in 2023/24 and £151,632 in 2024/25 be approved.

4. the Director of Law and Governance be authorised to finalise the legal documentation arising from the acceptance of the grant funding referred to in recommendations 1 to 3.

Delivery of the three National Drug Strategy programmes (ADDER programme, inpatient detox, and Individual Placement Support programme) has strengthened local capacity to reduce drug-related harms for people who use drugs and our wider communities.

The Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery (SSMTR) programme will build on the work of the ADDER programme. The remit of the programme is expanded beyond that of ADDER, to include children and young people and acknowledge the interactions between alcohol and drug misuse.

Proposals for the SSMTR programme have been developed with support from partners on the Wirral Combatting Drugs Partnership and are subject to approval by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. Proposals include investment in the wider system, beyond direct drug treatment services, to deliver the aims and objectives of the 10 Year National Drug Strategy.

The annual grants for 2023/24 (SSMTR, Inpatient Detox, and Individual Placement and Support) are to be utilised within the financial year.

Local Combatting Drugs Partnerships have been mandated by Government to deliver the aims of the national drugs strategy. The Wirral Combatting Drugs Partnership (CDP) brings together a wide range of partners to reduce drug-related harms in Wirral. The Partnership is chaired by the Director of Public Health and reports locally to the Health and Wellbeing Board and Safer Wirral Partnership Board, and to the Merseyside Policing Partnership Board regionally.

The Wirral Drugs Strategy will be launched by the Combatting Drugs Partnership in Summer 2023. Creating a local plan to reduce drug-related harms is one of the first asks of all Combatting Drugs Partnerships.

A range of possible investment options were considered when developing the Wirral Council Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Delivery Plan. The Plan has been designed to ensure that the Wirral system is best able to deliver the aims of the National Drugs Strategy and align with the developing Wirral Drugs Strategy. The Plan has been developed following review of progress of the ADDER programme, local data and consultation with a wide range of partners. The Delivery Plan is subject to review once final grant allocations are confirmed, and subject to approval by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.

The plans for the Inpatient Detox grant were developed collaboratively with the Cheshire and Merseyside Inpatient Detox Consortium. The decision to pursue block contracts with four providers was made to build stability, resilience and capacity in the inpatient detox system, taking advantage of the larger patient volumes when operating as a consortium. The alternative of continuing with individual placement purchasing arrangements was rejected as this did not meet the goals of the consortium.

No other options were considered for the Individual Placement and Support grant, as this is a continuation of existing commissioning agreements.