The Lambeth Together Care Partnership Board met to discuss a range of issues, including substance misuse, primary care commissioning, and support for autistic residents. The board approved a progress report on substance misuse programmes, ratified decisions made by the Primary Care Commissioning Committee, and received an update on the All-Age Autism Fund.

Addressing Substance Misuse

The board approved a progress report on the work of the Substance Misuse Programme against activities and outcomes set out in 'Our Health, Our Lambeth', and supported partnership efforts. The report highlighted that the overall adults' capacity ambition was exceeded in Year 3, and that non-opiates and alcohol numbers in treatment surpassed Year 3 ambitions. However, numbers in opiate treatment have seen very little movement since baseline, a trend that is also seen regionally and nationally.

The board heard that Lambeth is participating in pilots supported by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) to increase the number of opiate users in treatment, and is working with providers to develop a plan to improve access to assessments across the borough.

The report also highlighted the number of individuals in residential rehabilitation. Between April 2024 and March 2025, 30 individuals were placed in residential rehab, representing 1.5% of all adults in treatment, performing better than the England average of 1.1% and London average of 1.3%. However, budget constraints prevented meeting the national target.

The board also discussed reducing deaths in treatment. There were 25 deaths in treatment recorded between April 2024 and March 2025, a slight increase on the 20 deaths in the same period in the previous year. The Drug and Alcohol-Related Deaths (DARD) Panel meets quarterly to review cases in Lambeth. Recommendations made to the Combatting Drugs Partnership (CDP) include embedding a specialist stop smoking service within addiction services, enhancing physical health support for individuals in treatment, and strengthening co-occurring conditions pathway.

Key priorities for 2025/26 include:

• Substance Misuse Needs Assessment in development
• Chemsex Needs Assessment in development
• Continuation and development of On Street Engagement
• Review of the Combating Drugs Partnership and Delivery Plan
• Progressing Alcohol Needs Assessment recommendations through Reducing Harms from Alcohol Group (RHAG) Workplan

The board also discussed a new ambition for 2025/26: people receiving the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Intervention. This new ambition aims to reach 50 people, and is already at 39 people, with the majority coming through the opiates pathway.

Primary Care Commissioning Committee (PCCC) Update

The board ratified decisions made at the Primary Care Commissioning Committee (PCCC) on 23 July 2025. These included:

• Approving proposed System Development Fund (SDF) allocations, noting that a follow-up paper would be presented in September to address additional funding needs and align with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) blueprint.
• Approving the transfer of the Special Allocation Scheme (SAS) contract to Lewisham Borough.
• Approving to proceed with recommendations regarding a practice's non-compliance with their GP out of hours (GP OOH) service, but not to issue a letter of compliance, and that the ICB retain the current financial arrangements with them paying SELDOC directly for the provision of the OOH service until the ICB receives evidence of a signed written agreement between the practice and the GP out of hours service.
• Approving to take forward the recommended actions for a travel vaccinations issue at a practice, following a complaint about a patient being charged a consultation fee for NHS-funded travel vaccinations.
• Approving the Deerbrook Surgery move from HBD PCN to Fiveways PCN from 1st of October 2025.
• Approving that Dr Di Aitken is to share information with the Professional Standards Team at NHS England regarding a quality issue that had been raised where a Patient raised a complaint with a clinical decision.

The committee also discussed the expression of interest for creating a new Lambeth GP Provider Alliance, and agreed to review a full application in September, and that a due diligence process will be conducted.

Universal Access Fund: All-Age Autism Fund (AAAF) - Q1 Monitoring Update

The board noted the delivery and outcomes achieved in Quarter 1 of the Universal Access Fund: All-Age Autism Fund (AAAF), endorsed the Quarter 2 priorities to strengthen equity and sustainability, and supported cross-system enablers, including comms amplification via partners, data-sharing to improve demographic and outcome completeness, and alignment with Oliver McGowan training.

The report highlighted that 166 people were supported, 121 started engagement, 82 referrals were made, and 39 satisfaction returns were received. Autism was recorded for 128 participants, and comorbid ADHD/ADD and mental-health support were present. 69% of participants were under-18, 12% were aged 18–24, and 19% were 25+. 59% were male and 41% female. 55% were Black/Black British, 12% Asian/Asian British, 10% White (all categories), 10% Mixed, and 13% Other/unspecified. The primary language was English (n=140) with smaller numbers for other languages.

Delivery progressed across inclusive sports (Fulham FC, BIGKID), creative/therapeutic offers (Autism Voice, Carers4Carers, Chocolate Films), targeted education hubs (Education Lambeth), access to sensory spaces (Active Lambeth/MAC), and weekend play (Oasisplay). Early outcomes include increased confidence/skills, reduced isolation, successful Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) interventions (n=6), and case-study evidence of improved wellbeing.

The report noted positive reach into Black communities (55%) and children/young people (69% under-18), but gaps for adults 25+ and limited non-English participation relative to community profile. Actions to address these gaps in Quarter 2 include targeted comms and adult-focused offers, bilingual outreach and translated materials, a borough sensory-access guide, and strengthened outcomes/KPIs (participation, progression, wellbeing).

Lambeth Together Assurance Sub-Group

The board noted the report from the Lambeth Together Assurance Sub-Group and the associated Integrated Assurance Report presented on 15 July 2025. The Lambeth Together Assurance Group (LTAG) meeting agenda centred around two outcomes which the partnership is aiming to achieve through delivery of the 'Our Health, Our Lambeth' health and care plan:

• Outcome A: People Maintain Positive Behaviours That Keep Them Healthy
• Outcome D: People Have Healthy Mental and Emotional Well-being

Detailed updates were presented by Lambeth partners working in these areas, discussing the interventions and impact measures being monitored to check that the outcomes are being achieved. Time was also given at the meeting to review the Lambeth Together Integrated Assurance Report which provides assurance around wider delivery of the Lambeth Together Health and Care Plan (2023-2028), Risk, and Finance.

Lambeth Together Care Partnership - Place Executive Lead Report

Andrew Eyres, Place Executive Lead Lambeth, Corporate Director, Integrated Health, and Care, Lambeth Council and South East London Integrated Care Board, provided an update on key developments since the last board meeting.

The update covered the NHS 10 Year Plan and Neighbourhood Health Service Development, the ICB Change Programme and Reform, Board on the Bus – Meeting Our Residents Where They Are, System Pressures, and highlights from the Delivery Alliances.

The NHS 10 Year Plan, Fit for the Future, was published on 1 July setting out a bold generational vision for transforming healthcare in England. At its heart, the plan is focused on delivering three big shifts: from 'sickness to prevention', from 'hospital to community', and from 'analogue to digital'.

The Lambeth Strategic Partnership (LSP) Summer Reception at Brockwell Hall highlighted the strengths of the LSP, through a range of lightening talks by partnership members. The LSP is a close-knit partnership, aligning statutory and non-statutory partners around a clear set of shared values, aims and goals.

The ICB Change Programme is progressing to plan. ICB Executive Directors have submitted structural proposals, which it is planned will be finalised into a cohesive organisational design from the end of August, to be followed by staff consultation in September.

Board on the Bus is a key part of the Board commitment, through the Board listening programme, to bring local community voices into the strategic thinking of the partnership at Lambeth Together. Board members have been enthusiastic participants in our Board listening programme throughout the summer period, with a number of Board on the Bus sessions taking place across the borough.

Both Guy's and St Thomas' Trust and King's College Hospital, in collaboration and engagement with wider system partners and stakeholders, are busy drafting winter plans, which will be taken and signed off by the Lambeth and Southwark Urgent Emergency Care Board at the end of August.

The Discharge – Digital Approach Pathway Service (D-DAPS) is a volunteer-led programme funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and delivered in partnership with Age UK Lambeth to support Lambeth residents in making a safe transition from hospital to home.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) along with Alliance partners has undertaken a focused initiative to address the backlog in its single point of access. Through the diligent efforts of Lambeth's Single Point of Access (SPA) team, supported by colleagues across Lambeth and other SLaM boroughs, the backlog of approximately 600 people waiting to be processed by SPA at the end of June has been completely eliminated by 13th August.

The Children and Young People Alliance continues to develop neighbourhood-based delivery of services for children and young people. Work is now centred on Norwood, where the Alliance is working with the local delivery team to test pilots of integrated neighbourhood teams.

Over July and August, the Lambeth Together Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Group has continued to champion inclusive practice and amplify under-represented voices across the borough. The group has been actively preparing for the upcoming iNSPIRE event on 25th October, which will promote equity, inclusion, and innovation in health and care.

In July, Andrew Eyres attended the Lambeth Together Clinical and Care Professional Leads (CCPL) Forum. The Network forum meets quarterly, bringing together Lambeth's clinical leadership to share updates, reflect on strategic developments, and discuss collaborative priorities.

With summer in full swing, campaigns have focused on keeping Lambeth residents safe, well, and informed.

Lambeth Council wants to know what residents think about the move to Minnie Kidd House Sexual Health clinic from the Streatham Hill site.

The AT Beacon Team was at Brixton market on Saturday 9 August as part of their *Our Health and Wellbeing Outreach .* The team interacted with over 400 individuals at the market, these included shoppers, market traders and residents.