The Substance Misuse Partnership Board

The Newham Substance Misuse Partnership Board (SMPB) works to combat the social, economic and health problems related to drug and alcohol misuse in the borough.

We do this through the joint action of the local community, the police, Local Authority, Primary Care Trust and other agencies working in the borough.

Statement of Intent

• To operate within a clear framework of preventative and protective work addressing social, economic and public health consequences relating to substance misuse
• To concentrate on the problem of illegal drugs in accordance with the national strategy while also addressing the key concerns identified through the Local Strategic Partnership in Newham
• To focus on minimising risk and reducing harm by recognising the importance of balancing the provision of effective support, advice and information for those currently using substances, with the need to prevent experimentation and early use of drugs and alcohol and protect the community from the effects of crime related to drug and alcohol use
• The Newham Substance Misuse Partnership Board promotes harm reduction by recognising a hierarchy of harm in patterns of substance misuse

How will the Substance Misuse Partnership Board deliver?

• By developing and recommending to partnership agencies an inclusive local strategy to achieve the aims of the national drugs strategy in Newham
• By monitoring and evaluating the delivery of the local strategy, including the performance and quality of local services, and keeping the strategy under review
• By promoting the substance misuse strategy
• By focusing the attention of the principal agencies and other stakeholders on the actions needed to deliver the local strategy, and ensuring local resource collaboration to those ends
• By ensuring that service users and their carers have an opportunity to influence service development
  

About the Board

The Substance Misuse Partnership Board meets quarterly.

Chair Roles

• Chair, Carol Hill (Director of Performance & Commissioning Improvement , NHS Newham)
• Lead Commissioner:- Bernie Dando (Commissioning Manager- substance misuse, LBN/NHS Newham)

Key members

Account (user group) and carers' reps. To find out more, contact Bernie.dando@newhampct.nhs.uk