Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Accepted
Patchy progress across local authorities indicates variability in drug strategy implementation effectiveness.
Conclusion
DHSC highlighted that local areas will base treatment and recovery services on local needs and demographics. We heard that the strategy was leading to innovation and good practice but the JCDU and departments could not point to specific examples.56 Dame Carol told us progress was patchy, with some local authorities finding it more difficult to make systemic change.57 DHSC recognised that there is variability across combating drugs partnerships, with 19 of 30 areas it reviewed requiring extra assistance.58 It is considering withholding a proportion of funding allocations for 2024–25 unless these areas develop improvement plans.59
Government Response Summary
The government agreed with the committee, stating DHSC is undertaking targeted work with the 19 local authorities needing improvement, including agreeing tailored performance improvement plans, disseminating good practice, and conducting an evaluation of the whole-system approach.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: March 2025 4.2 The JCDU gave local areas the flexibility they need to shape their Combating Drugs Partnerships, reflecting their varying levels of maturity and local need. A Shared Outcomes Fund evaluation, now underway, will improve the government’s understanding of how the whole-system approach is being delivered locally. 4.3 The JCDU disseminates good practice regularly, including through new guidance, webinars, regional/sector specific events, and an online forum for Combating Drugs Partnerships to support networking and improvements in local delivery. This has increased the sharing of practice with several local areas specifically collaborating to improve their Drug and Alcohol Related Death processes. 4.4 DHSC is undertaking targeted work with the 19 local authority areas identified as having the greatest need to improve outcomes, including agreeing tailored performance improvement plans. For example, London, as the poorest performing region on continuity of care between prison and community treatment, is being supported with a focused action plan. 4.5 DHSC also continues to work with all local areas to address unmet need and drug misuse deaths and to drive improvements in continuity of care. This includes the recently rolled out Unmet Need Toolkit which can be used by local areas to assess gaps in referral pathways. 4.6 HM Prison and Probation Service is supporting local areas to improve join up, including through recruitment of Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators nationwide and Drug Strategy Leads in key prisons, as well as through rollout of the Probation Notification and Actioning Project, helping probation support attendance at treatment. 4.7 JCDU and departments will continue to engage with local partners to oversee delivery, including through regular meetings with the Association of Directors of Public Health lead for drugs and alcohol, local authority commissioners, and providers. This dialogue, along with DHSC’s extensive impact evaluations, helps ensure departments understand how the metrics set out in the Drug Strategy shape delivery and performance across key pathways.