Agenda item - Reducing Harms from Drugs & Alcohol - Brighton & Hove Drugs & Alcohol Strategy

Report of the Interim Corporate Director, Housing, Care & Wellbeing (copy attached)

15.1    Cllr Tristram Burden, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Service Transformation, and Caroline Vass, Interim Director for Public Health, presented the report to the committee.

15.2    Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan asked a question about data collection Ms Caroline Vass responded that data collection is robust, but sharing data across services was less so, and work is ongoing to improve this.

15.3    Dr Sasidharan asked about input from different ethnic groups. Ms Vass responded that services have tried to increase involvement from people from racially minoritised groups, but this has been difficult, with respondents being predominantly white males.

15.4    Jo Martindale noted that council strategies had a problem in the degree to which they link up with other strategies. Ms Vass agreed, and said that this was an area of focus.

15.5    Cllr Sheard asked about the groups like CGL, police, ES Veterans Hub, and the work with Project Adder. Could we piggy back on some of the work that they are doing. He also asked about the use of Naloxone, and how the council are working with partners to roll this out. Cllr Sheard asked how do you fight something that is so engrained in young people? Caroline Vass said It is not going to be an issue that we can tackle in a short space of time, which is why we are taking about a generational shift. We work very closely with East Sussex, and the police work across Sussex but we made a decision that our strategy would be about Brighton & Hove only, althoughe are working with neighbours on an alert system. Caroline said that earlier this year they funded someone from CGL to work on Naloxone to develop training and roll out. It is also being rolled out in police custody suites. Cllr Burden added that he is working to improve Councillors’ understanding of Naloxone with councillors and on training of cityclean frontline workers.

15.6    Becky Robinson asked if they were aware of the link of ADHD and drug use and if there was working being done on this. Caroline Vass responded that this has been included in the Equality Impact Assessment; we are only just beginning to understand the link.

15.7    Cllr shanks asked if needle exchanges well publicised. She also asked if injecting rooms were being looked at and about the potential to prescribe heroin. Caroline Vass replied that needle exchange is widely advertised to people who may be taking drugs intravenously. that the issue of injecting rooms is complex and it will be interesting to see what happens in Glasgow with their pilot. However, providing injecting rooms would be very expensive and in fact not currently legal in England. In terms of opiate prescription, the city has a very stable methodone programme that people can access through their GPs. Buvidal is long acting, is working well, and also has positive feedback in terms of stabilising people and getting them off the habit.

15.8    Cllr Czolak asked about future funding for drugs work. Ms Vass responded that there has been additional Government grant funding which is due to end in March 2025. To date there has been no confirmation that this funding will continue, and there would be significant issues across the country if the funding does end.

15.9    Cllr Czolak asked about the link between drugs and housing services, noting that there is good practice from other places such as Birkenhead. Caroline Vass responded that partnership with housing is a key focus of the strategy. 

15.10 Cllr Mcleay noted that drugs-related issues were a significant problem in her ward, but that residents tell her they don’t feel supported in reporting problems. More could be done to make this process easier.

15.11  RESOLVED – that the report be noted.