Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what processes are in place to ensure that findings from Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs) involving addiction related deaths are embedded consistently in national guidance, NHS workforce training, and commissioning standards.

The Government takes the findings from Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs), including those where substance dependence was a feature in deaths very seriously, and expects them to inform practice, guidance, and commissioning at both a local and national level.

The processes for this is through the SAR escalation protocol and the national SAR analysis. All Safeguarding Adults Board members and relevant organisations are required to cooperate with SARs and implement findings locally, including through local commissioning and workforce training. The national SAR analysis then allows us to review at a national level.

The recently published Clinical Guidelines for Alcohol Treatment were informed by national SAR analysis and therefore include specific recommendations on adult safeguarding, summarise relevant legislation and guidance, and signpost to this national SAR analysis and associated good practice briefings, including on homelessness. The Department and NHS England are working with the drug and alcohol treatment sector to ensure that their workforce is sustainable, multidisciplinary, and equipped with the capabilities and capacity to help people to reduce risk and initiate and sustain recovery. The Department and NHS England published a 10-year strategic plan for the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce (2024–2034) in May 2024, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/10-year-strategic-plan-for-the-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-and-recovery-workforce-2024-2034/