Kamal Patel (Consultant in Public Health) and Jane Marley (Public Health Specialist) introduced the Plymouth Drugs Partnership Annual Report and discussed:

a)     The report outlined the work of the Plymouth Drug Strategic Partnership, which addressed significant individual and societal harm associated with drug and alcohol dependence, including coexisting challenges such as poor physical and mental health, poverty, discrimination, violence, offending, and homelessness;

b)    Drug deaths in England had been rising since 2014, leading to the national drug strategy in 2021, which focused on three priorities: breaking supply chains, delivering world-class treatment and recovery, and achieving a generational shift in demand;

c)     The partnership comprised multiple members, including Public Health, Devon and Cornwall Police, OHID regional teams, commissioned providers, probation services, the Police and Crime Commissioner, and elected members;

d)    National estimates indicated approximately 2,000 people in Plymouth used opiates and/or crack, and 3,500 were alcohol dependent. Plymouth’s opiate/crack use rate was 27% higher than England, and alcohol dependency was 21% higher;

e)     Main commissioned providers included the Plymouth Alliance for Complex Lives, Harbour, Hamoaze House, and Livewell Southwest for adults, and The Children’s Society for young people;

f)      Drug treatment capacity had increased by 8% overall, driven by non-opiate and alcohol treatment. A reported 12% reduction in young people’s treatment was attributed to a coding error during provider transition, which had since been corrected;

g)     Unmet need for opiates and crack was significantly below the national average, placing Plymouth among the top five areas nationally for reaching this cohort. However, unmet need for alcohol remained high at 79%, slightly above the national figure of 76%;

h)    Treatment progress showed 47% of adults achieved successful outcomes, matching the England average. Outcomes for young people were similar to national figures, with Plymouth performing better for cannabis and other drugs;

i)      Continuity of care for prison leavers with drug treatment needs had improved significantly, now exceeding the England average, reducing risks of harm, death, and reoffending;

j)      Drug misuse deaths in Plymouth were 7.5 per 100,000, compared to 5.5 nationally, reflecting higher prevalence. Deaths in treatment had reduced from 2% to 1.5%, approaching the England average of 1.3%, though further improvement was needed;

k)     Alcohol-related deaths had increased locally while reducing nationally, though confidence intervals overlapped. Work was ongoing to address this trend;

l)      Delivery plan priorities included improving treatment quality and capacity, reducing drug deaths through initiatives such as the Local Drug Information System, synthetic opioid preparedness, peer-to-peer naloxone distribution, the Plymouth Overdose Response Team, and the Avoidable Deaths Review Group;

m)   Alcohol-focused work included an alcohol steering group, needs assessment, a new specialist community alcohol treatment team, dedicated training packages, licensing engagement, screening tools, and intramuscular thiamine provision to prevent alcohol-related brain injury;

n)    Workforce development was a key priority, with initiatives such as suicide prevention training, trauma-informed approaches, workplace wellbeing champions, and embedding the drug and alcohol capability framework;

o)    Integration efforts included co-location of mental health teams within Harbour, MDT contributions, psychological therapy access, and partnerships with homelessness intervention teams, and employment support through Shekinah;

p)    Criminal justice work focused on continuity of care, hospital in-reach, alcohol interventions, and probation engagement;

q)    Children and young people’s work included increasing school referrals, embedding CAMHS workers within services, educational outreach via The Zone, and a partnership group addressing substance misuse and vaping, now expanding to broader needs. Priorities included implementing screening tools, understanding ketamine use, and piloting a virtual team model;

r)     Future priorities included strengthening enforcement collaboration across Devon and Cornwall, refreshing the delivery plan, undertaking a substance use health needs assessment, expanding young people’s work, continuing synthetic opioid preparedness, and embedding co-production with service users.

In response to questions, the Board discussed:

s)     Licensing engagement: Public Health would join licensing panels to assess applications, informed by mapping of alcohol-related hospital admissions against licensed premises. Work would include harm reduction measures and supporting police-led “Reduce the Strength” campaigns;

t)     Deaths in treatment: Deaths in treatment had reduced over time, aided by the Avoidable Deaths Review Group, which reviewed two cases every eight weeks and would produce a system-wide learning report;

u)    Data accuracy: Members queried corrections to children’s treatment data. It was confirmed that the issue was explained narratively in the report and resolved for future reporting.

The Board agreed:

1. To endorse the actions taken by the Plymouth Drugs Partnership for 2024/25;

2. To provide comments and suggested areas of focus for the partnership going forward, including care-experienced young people;

3. To receive updates on delivery plan refresh, enforcement collaboration, and health needs assessment at future meetings.