Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Acknowledged
Drug strategy's outcomes framework risks perverse incentives, prioritising process over recovery and impact.
Conclusion
We have previously highlighted the importance of effective performance metrics as a means of assessing progress in implementation.60 The JCDU has developed the National Outcomes Framework as a basis for assessing progress towards outcomes of reduced 48 C&AG’s Report, para 9 49 Q 3 50 Q 59; C&AG’s Report, Figure 8 51 Qq 57, 58 52 Q 57; C&AG’s Report, para 2.10 53 Q 18 54 C&AG’s Report para 1.6 55 Ev RHD0005 56 Qq 73, 101, 115, 136 57 Q 3 58 Q 80 59 Q 101 60 Committee of Public Accounts, Improving outcomes for women in the criminal justice system, Fifty-First Report of Session 2021–22, 28 April 2022, para 6 14 Reducing the harm from illegal drugs drug use, drug-related deaths and crime.61 However, Mr Trace expressed concerns that performance measures created an obsession with the numbers and did not focus on the outcomes being sought.62 After the session, Mr Trace provided supplementary evidence that local authorities are incentivised to offer a minimal level of service to a maximum number of people, rather than measuring the numbers of people they have helped to recover from their addiction.63 He argued that the current framework creates perverse incentives and risks micromanagement at the local level.64 When challenged, DHSC told us that process indicators are necessary for long-term conditions as they help focus on what is needed to improve services, such as the workforce and numbers of people in treatment.65 Mr Trace also stated that measures of enforcement activity were still too focused on process rather than outcomes, and that that law enforcement bodies should prioritise outcomes, such as reducing the availability of drugs and lowering drug-related violence.66 Targeting treatment and recovery services
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledged concerns about performance metrics by stating ongoing evaluations and tracking of outcomes within the National Combating Drugs Outcomes Framework will increase understanding of progress and inform potential adjustments to their approach.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
1.3 To build on this progress and continue delivering against our long-term outcomes, the Joint Combating Drugs Unit (JCDU) and departments – Home Office (HO), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and Department for Education (DfE) - are focused on developing a strong joint case for investment at the next spending review. Ongoing evaluation of projects and programmes is already in place, led by departments, while the JCDU has commissioned an evaluation of local and national delivery against the whole-system approach. Assessments from these evaluations will be complemented by analysis and tracking of outcomes in the National Combating Drugs Outcomes Framework and learning from evidence across wider programmes. This work will increase understanding of progress to date, the economic impact, and where the government may need to adjust its approach to enable it to achieve the 10-year ambition. 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.