The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) - Find a freedom of information request

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) said upper tier local authorities should hold this information when I submitted a previous press enquiry and I believe OHID has recommended the systems about which I am asking questions below: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-drug-and-alcohol-deaths-partnership-review-process/preventing-drug-and-alcohol-deaths-partnership-review-process.

Description of information sought:

1. Broken down by name of substance/drug and calendar year, the number of non-fatal overdoses and near-fatal overdoses recorded in the calendar years 2023 and 2024

2. Broken down by name of substance/drug and calendar year, the number of drug-related deaths recorded in the calendar years 2023 and 2024

3. Broken down by calendar year, the number of alcohol-related deaths recorded in the calendar years 2023 and 2024

4. Broken down by calendar year, the number of deaths in drug and alcohol treatment (including people who left treatment within 6 months of their death) recorded in the calendar years 2023 and 2024

5. Details of the membership of your local drug information systems (LDIS) panel and multi-agency/partnership panel to review cases of drug and alcohol-related deaths (DARDs) and non-fatal overdoses and near-fatal overdoses - does the panel have a lead officer and chair? How many members does each panel have (if they are distinct) and what are their expertise in relevant disciplines as per LDIS guidance (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7483b440f0b616bcb1717c/Drug_alerts_and_local_drug_information_systems_guidance.pdf) medical, policing, pharmacology, drugs specialists, etc?

6. Details of the geographic area (eg is it limited to your council area or a larger area) covered by your multi-agency/partnership panel which reviews (a) drug-related deaths (b) alcohol-related deaths (c) deaths in drug and alcohol treatment (including people who left treatment within 6 months of their death) (d) near-fatal overdoses

7. Name and description of the local partnership group into which that multi-agency/partnership panel reports eg combating drugs partnership (CDP)

8. Copies of, or a hyperlink to (if online), the terms of reference for your multi-agency/partnership panel

9. Broken down by calendar year and the name of the substances/drugs suspected to be involved in each death, the number of reviews your multi-agency/partnership panel carried out in the calendar years 2023 and 2024 for (a) drug-related deaths (b) alcohol-related deaths (c) deaths in drug and alcohol treatment (including people who left treatment within 6 months of their death) (d) near-fatal overdoses

10. Copies of, or a hyperlink to (if online), any evaluation carried out in the calendar years 2023 and 2024 by your multi-agency/partnership panel of its impact/work

11. Copies of, or a hyperlink to (if online), any published records of findings and actions carried out by your multi-agency/partnership panel (such as an annual report) in the calendar years 2023 and 2024

12. Details of any data sharing process agreed with a coroner by your multi-agency/partnership panel - is a process agreed and what is the name of the coroner's office(s) involved?

13. Details of any notification process for near-fatal overdoses agreed with ambulance services, integrated care boards and/or hospital trusts by your multi-agency/partnership panel - is a process agreed and what are the names of the ambulance service(s), integrated care board(s) and/or hospital trust(s) involved?

 

I can confirm that some of the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council.

1. This is not information retained by the local authority

2. Lincolnshire County Council does not hold this information

3. Lincolnshire County Council does not hold this information

4. There were 43 Deaths during 2023 data for 2024 has not yet been released by OHID. This data does not include those who have left treatment as that is not recorded by the local authority

5. LDIS Panel has 5 core members which includes Public Health Commissioners, Community Safety, Police, Treatment and Recovery Operational Leads. The lead officer and chair of the panel is the Public Health Substance Use Senior Programme Officer. DARD Panels are chaired by PH Consultant and the lead officer is the DARD Lead. Membership includes Public Health Commissioning, Fire and Rescue, Corononers office, Housing, Police, Probation, Health, Safer Communities, and Treatment and Recovery

6. The area covered for all aspects of this question is Lincolnshire

7. The local partnership group is the Drugs and Alcohol Partnership that sits under the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership.

8. DARD Terms of Reference under development and not yet agreed by the group LDIS Terms of Reference – attached

9. No reviews undertaken

10. No evaluations undertaken

11. N/a

12. An Information Sharing Agreement is under development for DARD which is for all partners and not specific to the Coroners Service, this is not yet complete or agreed by partners

13. There is no near-fatal notification process currently in place with East Midlands Ambulance Service or Lincolnshire ICB, discussions are ongoing.

Should you require the attachment mentioned above please contact customerinformationservice@lincolnshire.gov.uk with the below reference number and this can be provided.