Decision details

Proposed decision:

As Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, I agree:

      i.    To accept the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grants 2022/23 to 2024/25 and the Inpatient Detoxification Grant (£7,421,560) under the Office for Health Inequalities and Disparities (OHID) terms and conditions.

     ii.    DELEGATE authority to the Director of Public Health to take relevant actions, including but not limited to, entering into and finalising the terms of relevant contracts or other legal agreements, as necessary, to implement the decision. The provision and related grant funding will be flexibly deployed to be responsive to local need as identified through both local and national indicators during the course of the grant.

    iii.    DELEGATE authority to the Director of Public Health, after consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health and the Corporate Director of Finance, to accept and deploy further funding from OHID towards substance misuse service associated with the 10-year Harm to Hope national drug strategy.

Reason for the decision:

Dame Carol Black was commissioned by the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social care to undertake an independent review of drugs to inform thinking on what more can be done to tackle the harm that drugs cause. Following the review, a three-year funding package has been announced in the National Drug Strategy to implement the recommendations outlined in the review through additional funding outside of the Public Health Grant to local authorities.

Background:

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, local authorities have the duty to reduce health inequalities and improve the health of their local population by ensuring that there are public health services aimed at reducing drug and alcohol misuse. Kent County Council receives a ring-fenced Public Health grant each year, of which a condition is to deliver services aimed at reducing drug and alcohol misuse.

Options (other options considered but discarded):

-       Reject the funding - As with any grant, there is an option to accept or reject the funding. The funding will support KCC’s statutory responsibility in providing Drug and Alcohol treatment services and will support KCC’s strategy in improving the quality of life of vulnerable residents. Rejecting the grant would not be in the public’s interest.

-       Outsource the management of the grant – The management of the grant could be outsourced either in full or in part to a third party. Outsourcing the management of the grant was discounted to ensure that KCC could closely control and monitor the grant in line with existing service delivery and ensure flexible application to emerging need.

As Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, I agree to:

1. ACCEPT the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grants 2022/23 to 2024/25 and the Inpatient Detoxification Grant (£7,421,560) under the Office for Health Inequalities and Disparities (OHID) terms and conditions.
2. DELEGATE authority to the Director of Public Health to take relevant actions, including but not limited to, entering into and finalising the terms of relevant contracts or other legal agreements, as necessary, to implement the decision. The provision and related grant funding will be flexibly deployed to be responsive to local need as identified through both local and national indicators during the course of the grant.
3. DELEGATE authority to the Director of Public Health, after consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health and the Corporate Director of Finance, to accept and deploy further funding from OHID towards substance misuse service associated with the 10-year Harm to Hope national drug strategy.