Issue - meetings

Report CS14134

Approval was sought to tender for substance misuse services.

For the procurement of a new contract to take effect from January 2016, Members had previously requested a policy review to develop a revised approach to counter substance misuse - information was to be provided on outcomes that could be expected from the serviceand the effectiveness of treatments.

Work since undertaken included:

• clarification of the legal basis for providing substance misuse services;
• assessment of the local population need for substance misuse services, including a review of the effectiveness of treatments; and
• commissioning options in relation to the above points.

Copies of the full needs assessment for alcohol and drugs misuse were provided online and copied to the Members’ room at the Civic Centre. Key points from each assessment were presented in Report CS14134.

There were a number of risks should services not be commissioned for people misusing drugs or alcohol. It was recommended that substance misuse services continue to be funded to provide a full range of treatments outlined in guidance. The report outlined how commissioning arrangements for the services could be more efficient with an opportunity provided to revise service specifications and create greater efficiencies.

On success and outcomes, officers were aware of the proportion of patients not returning for treatment. Successful completion of treatment was defined as leaving treatment free from the substance of choice and not re-presenting to services within six months. This was a Public Health Outcome Framework indicator – accepted nationally - against which the local authority was measured. Although the proportion in effective treatment in L B Bromley was a little lower than for England, successful completion rates were higher, suggesting that Bromley services were working effectively and meeting statutory requirements. Some 20% of patients were considered to have successfully completed treatment and to have been cured. It was agreed to provide an indication of the number of people this percentage represented.

It was intended to realign contracts for the main services and tender those services as one contract. As such the Leader supported the recommendation to grant a waiver to extend the shared care contract from October to December 2015 so aligning it for inclusion with the other services to be tendered as one contract. Noting the recommendation from the Executive and Resources PDS Committee, the Leader agreed that further work (and information) was needed before the tender process could begin. It was important that relevant Members had a part in the process for defining the tender specifications. The Portfolio Holder for Resources suggested that the views of residents be considered along with desired outcomes from the NHS Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) - it was necessary to work closely with the CCG in this area. Successful outcomes could then be built into the tender process.

In merging the current contracts, it was explained that the services would be re-specified in a different way. More was known about the adult population, those who use the service,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 202