The Clinical and Adult Social Work Governance Committee met on Wednesday 24 June 2026 to discuss the updated Terms of Reference for the Clinical and Adult Social Work Governance Group and the staffing and redesign of the Aberdeenshire Drug and Alcohol Service. The committee approved the updated Terms of Reference, delegating authority to Lindsay Flockhart to make minor amendments. They also noted the challenges within the Drug and Alcohol Service and were assured that officers were taking steps to mitigate risks.

Updated Terms of Reference for the Clinical and Adult Social Work Governance Group

The committee considered and approved the updated Terms of Reference for the Clinical and Adult Social Work Governance Group. These revisions aim to align the document with current processes and groups within the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership, including updating group names and membership. Councillor David Keating raised several points regarding the layers of assurance and the reporting structure, questioning the necessity of seeing all activity reports from the group and suggesting a focus on escalated risks and concerns. The committee agreed to delegate authority to Lindsay Flockhart, Lead Social Worker, to make minor amendments to the Terms of Reference based on the discussion.

Aberdeenshire Drug and Alcohol Service Staffing and Redesign

The committee received a report detailing the current staffing challenges within the Aberdeenshire Drug and Alcohol Service, particularly a deficit in nursing staff, and the ongoing service redesign process. Alex Pirrie, Partnership Manager, presented the report on behalf of Dr Julia Mutch, Chief Nurse for Mental Health and Learning Disability Services in Grampian. The report highlighted that the service is facing a deficit of 6.24 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) nurses, leading to nurses working to Priorities of Care which means only essential duties are being undertaken. This situation poses risks to the quality of care, the delivery of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards, and staff wellbeing.

The committee was assured that officers are taking steps to mitigate these risks, including streamlining the redesign process, focusing social work staff on statutory duties, and highlighting vacancy risks to the Senior Leadership Team. The committee agreed that they were sufficiently assured that officers were taking reasonable steps to mitigate the risks.

The discussion also touched upon the complexity of the service's budget, which is funded by NHS Grampian, Aberdeenshire Council, and the Scottish Government. The service redesign aims to ensure the service is staffed with the correct skill mix and roles within the available funding envelope.

The committee was joined by Gillian Robertson, Service Manager for the Drug and Alcohol Service, and Tia Chidote, a Nurse Manager, to answer questions. Councillor Ross Cassie inquired about the staffing complement for the social work side of the service, and Gillian Robertson confirmed there were five vacancies, with a projected overspend of just over £100,000.