Purpose

Liverpool City Council is an Associate Commissioner to an NHS contract between Liverpool University Hospital Foundation Trust and Cheshire & Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB) for the provision of health services. Funding is provided through a partnership agreement between Liverpool City Council and the ICB via the S75 schedule.

Decision

For the reasons set out in this report, the Corporate Director has decided to:

1. Grant approval for the Council to enter into a contract variation in respect of the Partnership Agreement (Ref 25-26-QYG-99A-REM-CV-CV05) between Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board and Liverpool University Hospital Foundation Trust (Liverpool City Council as associate Commissioner) for the period 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026 for the delivery of additional interventions that positively enhance health outcomes for people with a drug and/or alcohol treatment need in the sum of up to £336,811 (exclusive of VAT) to be funded by the Drug and alcohol treatment and recovery and improvement grant (DATRIG).

Alternative options considered

Option 1: Not to modify the Partnership Agreement: not doing so would not be appropriate at this time as it is highly likely to have a negative effect on the continuity and delivery of essential drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services for local people. Therefore, this is not a viable option.