The meeting included four reports providing an introduction to health and social care services in Waltham Forest, and a report on the procurement of Substance and Alcohol Use Services. There was also a scheduled discussion about the committee's future work programme, as this was the first meeting of the new municipal year.

Substance Misuse Procurement

The Committee were scheduled to hear a report on the proposed delivery model of the Substance and Alcohol Use Services that are being re-procured. The report provided a summary of the aims and scope of the services, which are due to commence in April 2025.

The report pack included the following for discussion:

• The current performance of existing services,
• Value for money analysis,
• How the service would meet changing needs,
• The approach taken to support vulnerable groups.

The report pack also stated:

The new specification places greater emphasis on the outcomes for individuals, personalisation of services and partnership working to reduce health inequalities. (Substance Alcohol Use Commissioning Scrutiny Committee_2324_v4: p.8)

Introduction to Services

The Committee were also scheduled to hear a report on a number of different services that operate in the borough.

Adult Social Care

This report outlined the Council's duties under the Care Act 2014.¹ The report pack provided detail about the performance and priorities of the Adult Social Care service and also included a summary of the different teams that make up the service.

Integrated Commissioning

This report outlined the Council's approach to commissioning care and support services. It also included detail about the Integrated Care Board,² and how the Council and NHS work together to commission services in the Borough.

Health and Care System Overview

This report provided an overview of the different organisations and agencies that operate within the North East London Integrated Care System (ICS),³ and the specific arrangements in place within Waltham Forest. It outlined the priorities for the Waltham Forest Health and Care Partnership (WFHCP), and listed the different members of the partnership.

Public Health

This report explained what public health is, and what responsibilities public health professionals have in the Council. It set out the Council's achievements in public health in 2023, and its priorities for 2024. The report pack also included more detailed information about the different services that public health commissions in the borough, including:

• Healthy Child Programme, delivered by Tower Hamlets Care Group,
• Substance Misuse Services, delivered by Change, Grow, Live,
• Sexual Health Services, provided by a range of different organisations including Barts Health NHS Trust through the All East service.

The report pack also described the services available for a range of other public health issues, including:

• Mental Wellbeing and Suicide Prevention
• Healthy Weight
• Smoking Cessation
• Making Every Contact Count
• NHS Health Checks.

Forward Plan Discussion

The report pack stated that the Committee were scheduled to discuss the committee's forward plan. This plan sets out the items that the committee will consider over the municipal year.

The report pack also suggested some other items for discussion, including:

• Supported Living
• Discharge to Assess
• The future of the Markhouse⁴ Learning Disabilities service,
• Care outcomes.

The report pack provided the following for discussion by the committee:

Improved alignment with the work area timeline. (1 - The Scrutiny Report - ASC and Health Scrutiny 16 July 2024: p. 2)