Issue - meetings

Matthew Cole, presented the report and Strategy, which set out a broad range of actions that were designed to improve public health, encourage social responsibility and reduce demands on public services.  Through enhanced community services and improved access to health care, the vulnerable would be protected, family connections and relationships improved, and individuals could be helped back into employment.  The Strategy would also strengthen and build upon existing partnerships with criminal justice colleagues to help identify those individuals that use substances problematically and ensure they are offered appropriate interventions and therapies.

Matthew advised that the Strategy would be updated to reflect areas of change that had occurred since the Strategy had originally been drafted for consultation.  These included governance changes, which included the monitoring of the Strategy Action Plan becoming the responsibility of the Community Safety Partnership, the recent change in legislation in regards to ‘legal highs’ and that the Metropolitan Police had been revising its own strategy. 

The Board discussed a number of aspects of the Strategy and its Action Plan.

Sean Wilson advised that the Metropolitan Police was looking at it Drugs Strategy as a whole, which included greater activity on enforcement.  The police regularly encounter people intoxicated by alcohol, illegal drugs or other substances.  Substance abuse was often the driver of criminal acts, disturbances and violence as well being a major concern in vehicle crashes.

It was noted that many of those under the influence of illegal drugs and other substances operate machine, drive or look after children but they are not seen as being obviously drunk, although their responses and rationing skills are often greatly impaired.  Therefore, substance abuse increased the risk for the wider community and life chances for those involved.

The Board:

(i)  Noted the amendments and governance changes to the draft Substance Misuse Strategy 2016-2020, as reported by Matthew Cole;

(ii)  Discussed a number of aspects of the Strategy and noted that the Action Plan would be monitored by the Community Safety Partnership;

(iii)  Recommended to the Cabinet that it adopts the Strategy, subject to the amendments; and

(iv)  Recommended that Partner organisations also take the steps necessary to formally adopt the Strategy through their own organisational arrangements.