Caithness.org News Bulletins -  October 2002

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At a meeting of the full Highland Council members reaffirmed that health improvement was a corporate priority for the Council when they unanimously agreed the proposals put to them for a Joint Health Improvement Plan and endorsed the future plans of the Highland Drug and Alcohol Action Team.

Members were told that key public sector agencies in the Highlands are to work together to improve the region's health. Initial priorities will include efforts to improve diet through community food projects, activities and safety projects aimed at older people.

Housing, education, childcare, transport and employment are all essential to the health of the Highlands and the Council, which employees around a third of the region's workforce, will play a vital role in allowing people to make a healthy choice of lifestyle through it's wide range of services. Initiatives already underway include breakfast clubs at schools and the Highlife leisure card which gives unlimited use of council run leisure centre facilities for an affordable monthly payment.

Health continued to be to the fore at the meeting as the next item was calling for Councillors to endorse the future plans of the Highland Drug and Alcohol Action Team (HDAAT). The Director of Education, Culture and Sport and co-Chair of the Action Team, Bruce Robertson, told members: "It is sad but a fact that the availability and use of drugs in the Highlands is widespread. There are high incidences of Hepatitis C in injecting drug users and drug seizures in heroin, crack, cocaine and ecstasy are increasing. There are also serious issues of alcohol misuse, particularly amongst young people. These are all worrying issues for all communities in the Highlands."

There are eight forums of HDAAT based within the Highland Council area. These forums produce local plans to tackle problems at a local level. HDAAT has been allocated £863,745 for 2002/2003 from the Scottish Executive through the Changing Children's Services Fund, rehabilitation allocation, Youth Justice monies and drug treatment monies. £422,444 will be spent on Highland wide initiatives and the remainder will be distributed to the local area forums

to implement local plans.

Highland-wide initiatives already in place include:

* A Youth Action Service to concentrate on early intervention;

* Expansion of Adult Services;

* Roll-out of a 3 year Theatre in Education project in Highland Schools;

* Development of services and support for young carers;

* Expansion of opportunities for people with substance misuse problems to enter and sustain education, training and employment.

Chairman of HDAAT, Councillor William Ross said that HDAAT was totally committed to continuing to tackle the problems of drugs and alcohol. He said: "We have set in place some initiatives that are really showing positive signs but we need to look at other challenges that we still face. Our priorities over the next 3 years will be to improve access to treatment and specialist services, to further engage communities and encourage then to take positive steps to combat problems, to improve outreach specialist services, to continue to communicate with agencies, the government, individuals and communities and to seek additional, well targeted funding."

Note
* The Highland Drug and Alcohol Action Team is a partnership between The Highland Council, Northern Constabulary, the Procurator Fiscal, NHS Highland, SPS and SCVO.