Agenda item

Briefing Note of Councillor Gingell, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services and Presentation of the Director of Public Health

Councillors Gingell and Caan, Cabinet Member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services and Councillor Hetherton, the Council’s lead champion for drugs, alcohol and mental health have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with Commander Claire Bell, West Midlands Police.

The Committee considered a briefing note of Councillor Gingell, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services concerning the Coventry Drug Strategy for 2015-2017 which aimed to guide the partnership work currently being undertaken to tackle and address drug misuse in the city. A copy of the strategy was set out at an appendix to the note. Councillor Hetherton, the Council’s lead champion for drugs, alcohol and mental health attended the meeting for the consideration of this item along with Commander Claire Bell, West Midlands Police. Ronnie Duggan, a volunteer with Aquarius and Claire Thomas, a recovery champion also attended for the consideration of this issue. Councillors Lucas and Townshend were also in attendance. 

The strategy was not a statutory requirement however partners felt that a partnership strategy was the best way to steer the multi-agency response that was needed to deal with this cross-cutting issue. As the commissioners and funders of local treatment services, the City Council had taken the lead in producing the strategy. The two year strategy was relevant to both young people and adults and covered a wide range of issues including prevention, education, housing, social care, treatment, crime and rehabilitation.

The Committee were informed that the drug strategy sat alongside the local alcohol strategy which was established in 2013. Reference was made to the consultation exercise undertaken with partners whose views, along with the views of service users, had been incorporated into the strategy. It would be reviewed on an annual basis and an annual Implementation Plan would detail specific actions detailing responsibilities and target times. 

The three key themes of the strategy were:

(i) Providing effective prevention and recovery-focused treatment

(ii) Changing and challenging attitudes and behaviour

(iii) Controlling the supply of drugs and promoting drug-free environments.

The governance arrangements for the strategy were highlighted.

Claire Thomas addressed the Committee informing of her personal experiences which had led to her becoming a recovery champion.

Members questioned the officers and the representatives on a number of issues and responses were provided, matters raised included:

·  The importance of using a holistic approach with services looking at individuals and their families

·  The role of the local police in relation to enforcement, prevention and intervention

·  The work of the police concerning the night time economy including their partnership work with the Council’s Licensing Team and their involvement with local club owners

·  Meeting the public’s expectations in relation to enforcement

·  The importance of passing on information to the Police to allow them to include all details in their intelligence systems  and determine the most appropriate course of action

·  How the strategy would help to tackle the issue of child sexual exploitation

·  Dealing with cannabis factories in the city

·  The contact with Coventry and Warwick universities and the work undertaken to identify and prevent substance use and misuse by students

·  The significant impact that drug misuse has on people with mental health issues

·  What was being done to tackle the issue of legal highs

·  Whether it would ever be appropriate to legalise drugs.

RESOLVED that:

(1) Having reviewed the strategy, the vision for Coventry and the three priority themes identified be endorsed.

(2) Councillor Gingell, the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services be recommended to adopt the strategy to guide Coventry’s work for the next two years.

(3) An update on the Implementation Plan be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee to include:

a) Additional performance indicators on other projected benefits such as the links with domestic violence and abuse and how referrals have reduced the prevalence of illegal drugs

b) Information on the use and effects of legal highs which are not covered by current misuse of drug laws but can have serious health risks, with legal highs being included in the strategy

c) Details of the sharing of information between the partner organisations.