Improvements in the clinical management of care that commenced in 2009/10 will continue in 2011/12 with the commissioning of Kirklees Community Health Care service to deliver clinical support and nurse led interventions and Lifeline structured treatment and additional support to offenders and other vulnerable groups. Work is ongoing to improve the identification of children of substance users needs within treatment services and young people‟s services have, for the first time, started to deliver significant outcomes after a retendering exercise in 2009. 3.9.2
Alcohol Misuse
Key Challenges 16,000 dependent drinkers in Kirklees, 1000 treatment places annually; Alcohol related hospital admissions almost doubled since 2002 (NWPHO, 2010); and Kirklees in worst quartiles for „hazardous and harmful drinking‟. Progress Performance exceeds regional and national averages (NTA, 2011) with 73% of service users leaving treatment in a planned manner; Improvements on all points of the „Outcome Star‟ for service users; Integrated team across public and voluntary sector providers; Development of new pathways with acute trusts and criminal justice services; and Work with YAS and community safety to target Huddersfield town centre. Driven by the Kirklees Alcohol Strategy and after an effective partnership tendering process, On Trak, the new adult alcohol service commenced operation from October 2009. The first 18 months performance has seen the development of a highly effective service, with over 70% of service users having a successful outcome. An effective partnership between Lifeline, KCHS and Community Links has established pathways with criminal justice, the acute sector and social care and a focused and skilled team are already delivering evidence of real change amongst the service user group as measured by the Outcome Star. Nonetheless, the need for specialist alcohol treatment continues to exceed capacity and service was initially over-subscribed and had long waiting times for treatment, though these are now reduced to an average of two weeks after an effective process mapping event. There is an ongoing push to improve the quality of alcohol treatment interventions from NICE and the National Treatment Agency. In Kirklees this is supported by new alcohol clinical lead who is driving clinical governance developments in partnership with commissioners. In addition to optimising specialist resources the focus remains on further developing earlier interventions via the alcohol stepped care model, including the ongoing support and development of the alcohol identification and brief advice local enhanced service in primary care, and developing prevention orientated activity such as targeted social marketing in the community. Kirklees has an ongoing problem with „hazardous and harmful‟ drinking and we are focusing on reducing harm in the communities with the deepest problems in North Kirklees.
Report Owner: Peter Flynn Report Author: The Performance Team
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