Agenda item

For the Alcohol Harm Reduction Partnership to provide an update on progress against the Board's priority to 'reduce alcohol related harm across the district for all age groups'.

The Board considered a report (Agenda Item 9) concerning an update from the Alcohol Harm Reduction Partnership. Denise Sayles introduced herself as the new Public Health Senior Programme Officer with responsibility for substance misuse, homelessness and smoking.

Alcohol Concern had been appointed to deliver the Blue Light Project and were to hold a stakeholder workshop on 17 October 2017. The target group for the project would be people drinking at dependent levels who were not engaging in treatment services who were costing emergency services a disproportionate amount. The approach was a different way of working with this group as usually the person was expected to ask for help. The project would train staff in partner organisations how to engage with treatment resistant drinkers. Following the stakeholder workshop training would be held for staff on motivational interviewing.

Councillor Fredrickson enquired how partner organisations would know who was best to engage with this group. Denise Sayles responded that a Focus Group would meet to identify which service should take the lead with each individual. She noted that she had met with the Liaison Team at Royal Berkshire Hospital’s Accident and Emergency department who had committed to attend the training but noted that they might not always be the right service to lead on service user engagement.

Rachael Wardell noted that motivational interviewing was a technique used in the family safeguarding model. Denise Sayles highlighted another link to the Making Every Adult Matter work and commented that the two workstreams would need to work together to identify which approach would be most effective for a particular person.

Shairoz Claridge commented that the Clinical Commissioning Groups had conducted some research to identify the ‘frequent flyers’ and asked how Blue Light clients would be identified. Denise Sayles noted that West Berkshire residents did not always make the hospitals’ ‘frequent flyers’ lists so identification would rely on good communication with Thames Valley Police, South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) and GPs. Shairoz Claridge expressed the view that it was a good project and she would raise the matter at the Sustainability and Transformation Programme (STP) Prevention Board as it linked to the Making Every Contact Count model.

Dr Bal Bahia noted that GPs received information from SCAS and noted that if a person was regularly attending their GP they were somewhat engaged with a treatment process. He noted that people were multi-faceted and alcohol misuse was usually a symptom of a problem. Dr Bahia noted that although the aim of the project was to reduce costs, ultimately the benefit of the project would be that lives were saved.

Councillor Quentin Webb noted that it would be helpful to engage with employers. Denise Sayles agreed that missed work due to alcohol was an issue.

Councillor Graham Jones expressed the view that a plurality of Primary Care outlets should be involved.

Andrew Sharp argued that it would not matter which service identified the client and if the system worked they would not be bounced between services. All agencies would need to work together to achieve the best results. He questioned what support would be available for treatment resistant drinkers who were not causing a burden to emergency services and hoped that the good practice learnt by staff would carry through. Andrew Sharp also highlighted that the Alcohol Harm Reduction Partnership wished to broaden their remit to include substance misuse as they already had the right membership.

(The meeting was adjourned between 11.00am and 11.15am for a test of the lockdown procedure)

Councillor Lynne Doherty asked for the membership of the group developing the Children and Young Peoples’ Substance Misuse Strategy. It was agreed that this information would be circulated outside the meeting.

Jo Reeves provided an update regarding the Alcohol Identification and Brief Advice (IBA) project. There had been a delay in commissioning the training due to annual leave in Legal Services over the summer however the service had been put out to tender with the deadline for bids being the following week.

Garry Poulson enquired whether Magistrates Courts could order a person, for example with a drink driving offence, to engage with alcohol treatment services. Denise Sayles confirmed it was possible and would be monitored through Probation Services. Jo Reeves was asked to write to the Magistrates Court. Rachael Wardell noted that the success rate of mandated treatment should be considered.

Denise Sayles concluded by stating that the Alcohol Harm Reduction Partnership wished to include substance misuse in its remit. She had also attended a meeting in Thatcham where the community advised they were more concerned about drugs than alcohol.

Jo Reeves noted that Alcohol Awareness Week would run 13-19 November 2017 and asked that the Board support activities during that week.

Councillor Fredrickson concluded that the numbers trained in IBA was a key target and if there was any further delay he would like a special meeting to be held to explore the reasons why.

RESOLVED that

·         The report be noted.

·         Jo Reeves would write to the Magistrates Court regarding alcohol treatment requirement orders.

·         The Board support that the Alcohol Harm Reduction Partnership expand its remit to include substance misuse.

·         A Special meeting would be held if there was any further delay to the Alcohol IBA project.