Issue - meetings

Report for Decision.

ORDERED that Executive approves the establishment of a new central assessment site to support safe and effective care.

AGREED that Executive:

·         NOTE the revenue impact in the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) from year two onwards and that these will be considered for approval by Council as part of the budget setting process;

·         NOTE the capital implications on the Levelling Up Partnership funding secured for Live Well East and;

·         NOTE the process and timescales to progress the preferred option and ensure continuity of service during library redevelopment.

The Executive Member for Public Health submitted a report for Executive’s consideration. The purpose of the report sought Executive approval for the reconfiguration of Recovery Solutions delivery sites, ensuring safe, accessible, and compliant service provision.

Nationally, Middlesbrough had one of the highest levels of need in relation to substance use, highlighted by the prevalence of both drug and alcohol-related deaths. This linked to the considerable levels of deprivation locally with Middlesbrough having high numbers of people engaged with our services.

The Council currently had ambitious government targets, including to further increase both numbers accessing treatment and those completing treatment successfully. To meet those challenging targets, Council services needed to be able to work collaboratively with key partners and be open and accessible to those who needed support.

Recovery Solutions currently operated from three sites:

·         Live Well East (Berwick Hills) – this was currently the main assessment centre; served between 700-750 clients. Changes to the building usage and enforcement presence had compromised care and restricted the opportunity for the site to offer the necessary capacity required;

·         Live Well West (Ayresome Green Lane) - served approximately 400 clients and had limited capacity;

·         Live Well South (Hemlington) - served between 180-200 clients; offered adequate capacity and has improved the engagement rate.

The proposed relocation of the Neighbourhoods team into the LWE library introduced a significant police presence, which was unsuitable for substance use client group. The presence of Police and enforcement staff in close proximity to a substance misuse treatment service would place the service in breach of critical CQC regulations under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This risk was escalated substantially if they were within a shared space, which would be the case with the space constraints introduced at LWE.

The new plans for LWE also introduced physical space reductions. This further impacted service delivery capacity, which resulted in the service not being able to accommodate the necessary range of roles and support key partner organisations to work into the setting. This severely restricted the ability to provide a full, person-centred treatment and recovery offer.

A new central site, Park House, on Park Road North, had been identified. This was located adjacent to Parkside Mental Health Resource Centre and both buildings were owned by Tees Esk and Wear Valley (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust. Public Health and the substance misuse services worked in partnership with TEWV across South Tees as the services share many clients.

The TEWV Care Programme Board had approved in principle the plan for Public Health South Tees to utilise their building.

Collaborative substance use and mental health services were vital because they improved patient outcomes. This was achieved by providing integrated, co-ordinated care for complex co-occurring issues, moving away from siloed systems. The integrated approach in South Tees enhances treatment engagement and recovery, leading to reduced severity of symptoms, lower rates of hospitalisation and a decrease in people falling into the cracks between services.

Levelling Up Partnership funding of £1.15 million was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36