Agenda item

11.1  Tanya Barrow, Community Safety Partnership Service Business Unit Manager, referred to the briefing tabled at the meeting and explained that the commissioning structure for Drug and Alcohol services is a complicated picture. There is a partnerships board with a pooled budget, which is top sliced. The council leads this and holds the SCCG budget through which services from SLaM are commissioned and managed. Treatment is provision is declining because there is a national trend of declining opiate users.

11.2   There were despite protracted negotiations to deliver the Integrated Offender Management (IOM) service programme at Marina House; however it was not considered the right location. The substance misuse service user group have fed back positively on the current arrangements.

11.3   Local resident Tom White commented that the Older People Partnership Board frequently talk about alcohol misuse. He asked if there was good news on reductions in illegal drug use but increases in problematic alcohol consumption. Tania Borrow agreed that this is a national trend; however Marina House did not treat alcohol abuse. She explained that the service tends to offer different treatment services as alcohol is legal and drugs are illegal. She explained that there is a drugs needs assessment being conducted that will look at prevalence and the effectiveness of treatment options.

11.4  A member commented that the level one course for GPs to refer to drug service is not very demanding and more about awareness rising. She explained that the healthcare assistants at her place of work do this level of qualification, and that she was concerned that it was not an adequate level of training to equip General Practitioners to undertake referral work with patients with complex needs. Tania Barrow commented that the partnership do not want to want to force GP's to do higher level courses; furthermore some surgeries also have drug workers. She added that there are specialised services at Blackfriars complex and in hostels.

11.5  A member asked how treatment performance is measured and Tania Barrow commented that they look at levels of recovery and if someone re-presents within 6 months.

11.6  A member commented that there were a number of promises for Marina House, and the reconfiguration of drugs services, which he is concerned have not come to pass. He added that the explanation about IMO is useful, but he was concerned about the rest of the services. The committee were given certain assurance about Blackfriars, however the footfall looks different. He commented that this engenders certain scepticism about the information given during the consultation.

11.7  Members queried if levels of  drug use level are going down; one member said he thought this was the national picture and that Richmond are seeing a reduction in cases, however another member commented that she is seeing an increased proportion of drug users at Belmarsh Prison where she works.

11.8  Chair invited Tom White to make further comment. He said that he thought it was a dire situation to recommend that drug users go to Blackfriars for treatment as this is often not easy. He raised concerns about the loss of lives because of a lack of self referral options and added that local MPs think it was retrograde step to end the self referral, but SLaM refuse to re-consider this.  He said that comparisons are made with other illness - but drug use is completely different.

11.9  He complained about the quality of the consultation document circulated with the agenda and said that he thought that information was missing. He went on to say that although the letter says that the £95 000 was not applied for in the end he has documents saying that this was accepted.  Tom White said he knew Mike Farrell, a drug treatment expert, who used to treat GPs and dentists at Marina House. Tom White said he was concerned where health professionals would now be able to access treatment. He ended by saying that he thinks that Marina House is virtually empty, while there are record numbers of drug users arriving at King’s College Hospital. He thought Marina House was effectively being closed down as a drug treatment centre, without consultation.

11.10  The chair thanked Tanya Barrow for her presentation and requested further information on the points raised by Tom White and the committee.

RESOLVED

SLaM and Southwark Clinical Commissioning Group will be asked to present.

The following information will be requested:

• The number of patients presenting at King’s over the last 5 years with drug and alcohol problems, including a breakdown on the number of Southwark residents.
• Information on where GPs and dentists with drug misuse problem are being provided with treatment.
• Mental health emergency crisis room at Kings and to what extent people in crisis do use this facility to access mental health treatment, including prescriptions.
• Statistics from the police on the number of arrests for drug and alcohol offences, including trends for the last 5 years