Notts: County Council sets out its position on drugs and alcohol treatment services

Nottinghamshire County Council’s public consultation into how substance misuse treatment and recovery services in the county are delivered ends today (Friday) with Coun Joyce Bosnjak, chairman of the county’s health and wellbeing board, welcoming the level of public engagement in Bassetlaw.

“I was very pleased to see so many people at the recent public meeting in Worksop, it’s great to see so many residents engaged in the consultation, something that has been replicated right across the county,” she said.

“I want to stress that this isn’t a case of privatisation of NHS services. The council took on responsibility for public health earlier this year and, as with all council services, we have a legal responsibility to tender any services that we commission through the appropriate channels.

“It’s also worth remembering that GP surgeries now operate as private businesses and will be able to bid along with other providers.”

“This is important as we spend between £12-13 million per year on drug and alcohol services and we have a duty to make sure this level of spend is delivering the very best outcomes for service users and offers the very best value for money to our taxpayers.”

“Too often people can be on treatments such as methadone for years on end, we want to see if there are ways to help more people successfully through the system and out the other side – something that would in turn ease the burden on the system, reduce crime and help more people back into work and living normal, drug-free lives, something that we can all agree would be desirable.”

“Discussions to date have been about the model for providing services. Once that’s agreed, a tendering process can be held to commission the right level of service, secure the best value for money and ensure we deliver the best outcomes for local people.”

“As chairman of the health and wellbeing board, I’d like to thank everyone that has contributed to this important consultation.”