Agenda item

(To receive a report from the Executive Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing which seeks authorisation from the Executive for an exception to the Council’s Contract and Procurement Procedure Rules to enable delivery of initiatives for which additional funding has been allocated by Government to Lincolnshire to support delivery of the 2021 National Drug Strategy)

1.    That the modification of the Substance Misuse Treatment Service contract to a maximum value of £1,161,489 to incorporate delivery of activity in support of the National Drug Strategy for a nine-month period between 1 July 2022 and 31 March 2023, be approved.

2.    That the modification of the Substance Misuse Recovery Service contract to a maximum value of £97,000 to incorporate delivery of activity in support of the National Drug Strategy for a nine-month period be 1 July 2022 and 31 March 2023, be approved.

3.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Public Health, to determine the final form of the modifications referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 above.

The Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Public Health introduced the report and advised that additional funding had been allocated to Lincolnshire to support delivery of the 2021 National Drug Strategy.

The Director of Public Health presented the report and outlined the application process for the two funding streams, as well as the conditions attached to it.  It was highlighted that Lincolnshire had been encouraged to apply for two separate funding streams to support delivery of the national strategy. These were:

-       The Supplemental Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grant (SSMTR)

-       The Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant (RSDATG)

It was highlighted that Lincolnshire did have a successful substance misuse programme, and one of the conditions of the funding was that Lincolnshire continued to spend the funds it already received, and that this was additional funding.  It was also noted that the application process had been very quick.  This funding would help to increase the offer to people with substance misuse issues.

During discussion by the Executive, the following was noted:

·       It was queried whether there were any guarantees that this funding would continue in the future, and also what proportion of the funding would be spent on staffing.  The Executive was advised that due to the nature of the service, the majority of the funding would be spent on staffing.  The vast majority of the costs would be with the provider, however, there would be a need for the Council to employ a couple of staff.  There would also be a very detailed performance reporting criteria that would need to be reported to government.

·       It had been confirmed that this funding would continue for three years.  What funding would be available for the remainder of the 10 year strategy was unclear at this time.

·       It was noted that some Executive members did have concerns around this, particularly around liability and risk.  It was highlighted that the risks would fall with the providers, as they would have a set amount of funding, and the Council would set out what needed to be delivered, and it was up to the provider to take on the appropriate staff to deliver those aims.

·       Executive members were reassured that staff employed for these projects were employed on one or two year projects or for the length of time the funding was expected to last.  It was confirmed that the risk did lie with the provider, and there would need to be a specific clause within the contract to pass that liability onto the council.

·       The Director of Public Health sought to give the Executive assurance that the delivery of commissioned public health services was within the Public Health grant.  The funding being discussed at this meeting, was additional funding, and the contracts would make it clear to the providers that the funding was available for 12 months.

·       It was noted that this had been a very fast application process, and the risk had been that Lincolnshire would not receive the additional £1.4m.

·       It was noted that any underspend would need to be returned, and it was queried what assurance the Executive could be given that the posts would be filled.  In terms of the posts that would be appointed to by the Council, it was reported that people would be employed on fixed term contracts, and would be employed on generic job descriptions and deployed to the relevant project.

·       It was noted that how success was measured would need to be examined, and it was suggested if there was a need for some overall scrutiny of how the £1.4m was making a difference.  Officers advised that the role of the two posts to be recruited to would be to keep track of this and to report back to central government.

·       It was highlighted that most domestic violence cases involved drugs or alcohol, and so this was not just about people living on the streets.  Impacts of this funding could be analysed through the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership as well.

·       It was considered important that this did go to scrutiny in future and it was suggested that the performance indicators could be monitored.

RESOLVED

1.    That the modification of the Substance Misuse Treatment Service contract to a maximum value of £1,161,489 to incorporate delivery of activity in support of the National Drug Strategy for a nine-month period between 1 July 2022 and 31 March 2023, be approved.

2.    That the modification of the Substance Misuse Recovery Service contract to a maximum value of £97,000 to incorporate delivery of activity in support of the National Drug Strategy for a nine-month period be 1 July 2022 and 31 March 2023, be approved.

3.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Public Health, to determine the final form of the modifications referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 above.