Purpose

The Department of Health and
Social Care (DHSC) has announced a five-year programme of funding
to be allocated to local authorities to invest in local service to
support smokers to quit– the ‘Local Stop Smoking
Services and Support Grant’.
 
The purpose of this Report is
to seek approval to distribute up to £3,936,505, (subject to
Government confirmation of funding for Year Two to Five), over the
five-year period from FY 2024/25 to FY 2020/29, into projects and
activities that will enable the delivery of the requirements of the
DHSC’s Stop Smoking Services and Support Grant.

Decision

Cllr Mark Hawthorne sought Cabinet approval to distribute up to
£3,936,505, (subject to Government confirmation of funding
for Year Two to Five), over the five-year period from FY 2024/25 to
FY 2020/29, into projects and activities that will enable the
delivery of the requirements of the DHSC’s Stop Smoking
Services and Support Grant.
 
Having considered all of the
information, Cabinet noted the report and
 
 
RESOLVED to:
 
1.
Approve, subject to further development of the local delivery
model, the allocation of the DHSC’s £3,936,505 Local
Stop Smoking Services and Support Grant 2024-2029
(“LSSSSG”) on the following basis, noting that the sums
specified below are indicative at this stage given that more
detailed development of the local delivery model is to take place,
and the value of the grant for Years Two to Five are subject to
Government confirmation:

a.
Up to £300,000 during year one of the LSSSSG grant period (FY
2024/25), increasing by increments to £355,000 in year five
(FY 2028/29), adding up to a total of up to £1,670,000 over
the five-year grant period, to fund additional stop smoking
coaching capacity to provide behavioural support to people who want
to quit, to be delivered by one or more commissioned
providers.

b.
Up to £328,701 during year one of the LSSSSG grant period (FY
2024/25), increasing by increments to £382,301 in years four
and five (FY 2027/08 and 2028/29), adding up to a total of up to
£1,814,305 over the five-year grant period, for the
additional approved pharmacological support e.g., nicotine
replacement therapy, prescription medication or vapes, needed
alongside behavioural support to help smokers to quit.

In the event that any proposed adjustments to these indicative allocations should
exceed key decision thresholds a further key decision will be
sought.

2.
Delegate authority to the Director of Public Health, in
consultation with the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Public
Health, regarding the selection and implementation of the most
suitable commissioning route(s) for implementing the allocation of
funding described in Recommendation 1 above and (where appropriate)
the subsequent award and/or modification of relevant
contracts.

3.
Note that the remaining total of up to £452,200, over the
fiveyear grant period, will be invested
in a range of supporting activities to enable the council to
deliver against the requirements of the LSSSSG. These will include,
but not be limited to; fixed-term officer capacity to support
commissioning and project management; community engagement and
social marketing. Decisions regarding the deployment of funds for
these lower cost activities will not exceed the key decision
threshold and will be made by the Director of Public
Health.