Issue - meetings

            The Board considered an update report on the work carried out to tackle alcohol and substance misuse across the partnership in the Borough. Members were presented with a number of indicators, which were used to monitor the extent of alcohol and substance misuse in Halton. The data presented highlighted the number of:

·         Under 18 alcohol specific admission episodes;

·         Hospital admissions for young people aged between 15 and 25 due to substance misuse;

·         hospital admissions due to alcohol related conditions for adults;

·         community treatment service referrals for alcohol;

·         alcohol detoxification services referrals; and

·         substance misuse referrals and outcomes.

The Board also received an update on emerging issues across the partnership which included:

·         Alcohol Care Teams – Work was underway across Cheshire and Merseyside to develop an NHS response to the provision of hospital based alcohol care teams, as well as a local dashboard. This work was being overseen by the Health and Care Partnership who had identified alcohol as one of their priority areas.

·         Treatment completions - Services have performed consistently well with successful completions across all four cohorts of service users. To support those leaving services, CGL had developed additional support groups, some focusing on abstinence, as well as developing further peer support group, both in service and within the community.

·         Education and Employment - This year service users had been supported to gain a total of 265 qualifications in a wide range of topics. 41 individuals had been supported into employment, with a 63% sustainment in jobs for over 6 months.

·         Blood Borne Viruses - Cgl has completed 312 BBV testing after their triage in 2018/19 as opposed to 100 clients tested in 2018/17. Also this year, 4 individuals had commenced treatment, with 2 completing and 15 service users referred to hepatology for treatment.

·         The Recovery Café - The recovery café continued to thrive and was a self-sufficient enterprise ran entirely by volunteers. Each week approx. 50 service users, friends and family members attended the café.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.