Agenda item

To present performance against the Council Plan 2015-20 for the period 1 October 2016 - 31 December 2016.

Ms Valerie Watson, Delivery Development Officer, Blackpool Council reported on the ‘direction of travel’ for key performance indicators relating to health services. Five of the eight indicators were reported annually at the end of each year (quarter four, January-March) covering smoking, obesity and healthcheck targets. The indicators would be discussed at the July 2017 meeting. Performance for quarter three, October-December 2016, related to three groups (opiate drug users, non-opiate drug users and alcohol users) and the percentages of those substance users successfully completing treatment. For drug users, recovery meant not re-presenting within six months.

Alcohol misuse - recovery rates

Alcohol users had been highlighted as an ‘exception’ with a shortfall in performance requiring more detailed reporting. The Chairman noted that the percentage of alcohol users successfully completing treatment had dropped for each of the last three quarters and was currently 36.7%, well below the quarter four or end-year target  of 60% of people recovering.

Dr Arif Rajpura, Director of Public Health, Blackpool Council explained that the support service, Horizon (commissioned by the Council), for people trying to recover from substance misuse, including alcohol, had been reviewed. Staff had previously focused mainly on providing narrow drug advice and support to people but a requirement had been identified for a more integrated and holistic service, involving specialist staff with alcohol expertise. The service would increase recovery by focusing on people’s immediate situation and their wider longer-term needs such as mental health support, housing opportunities and building skills for potential employment. Innovative approaches would be pursued including community-based working with GPs. The new service, continuing under the Horizon brand, would start on 1 April 2017 and he believed would help increase recovery rates across all areas.

NHS healthchecks

The Chairman referred to the annual target for numbers of people aged 40-74 years old taking NHS healthchecks. He noted that the percentage of healthchecks had dropped substantially from over 76% in 2013-2014 to 52% in 2015-2016. The current target was for an improvement on 2015-2016.

Dr Rajpura explained that Blackpool had previously had the best healthcheck rates in the country so the decline was being investigated and would be reported to the next meeting. Double-counting of healthchecks may have occurred so data accuracy needed to be verified and made more robust. Also people who were more willing had undertaken earlier healthchecks but ‘harder to reach’ people now needed to be encouraged. He added that the quality of healthchecks was paramount as people in the 40-74 age range were at increased risk and prone to higher blood pressure and conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Early effective intervention was key to preventing worsening health so robust healthchecks were needed and payment would be levered to ensure quality information was being secured. He hoped that the percentage of healthchecks would increase to over 75% again. 

Drug misuse - recovery rates

The Chairman referred to the 8% target for opiate drug users to sustain recovery (not requiring further treatment within six months of successfully completing treatment). This meant that 92% of service users were failing to recover. Dr Rajpura explained that the current 6% success rate was realistic and represented people with the most deep-rooted problems. He referred to the wide range of integrated and holistic support available for vulnerable people’s needs covering emotional and social aspects as well as developing skills for meaningful employment. The 8% target was considered ambitious and needed to be reviewed.

Members referred to the Committee’s meeting in September 2016 when Dr Rajpura had explained that people might be treated with methadone indefinitely as there were risks associated with coming off opiate drug dependency. Methadone had fewer health risks than heroin as drugs were not being injected. Methadone allowed people to be released from heroin addiction and, in some cases, proved very successful as people found stability including employment and avoiding crime. He was asked what residential rehabilitation services were offered. He explained that a full range of accessible services were available promoting recovery noting the new Horizon service offered an ‘outreach’ service, i.e. getting out to people.

The Committee agreed to receive an explanatory report on NHS Healthchecks for people aged 40-74 years old at the Committee’s July 2017 meeting as part of the regular report on the Council’s health performance indicators.