Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the new Integrated care systems will be expected to produce drug and alcohol and substance misuse strategies.

Integrated care partnerships are required by the Health and Care Act 2022 to develop integrated care strategies. We anticipate that the forthcoming statutory guidance for these strategies will highlight the involvement of drug and alcohol treatment providers as strategies are developed.

On 15 June 2022, guidance was issued on how local delivery partners, including the National Health Service and local authorities, should form multi-agency Combating Drugs Partnerships to reduce drug-related harm. These partnerships will develop a shared local plan, alongside other local delivery programmes such as integrated care strategies, to address the priorities identified by the cross-Government drugs strategy.