City of York Council

Equalities Impact Assessment

Who is submitting the proposal?

Directorate:		Public Health
Service Area:		Drugs and Alcohol
Name of the proposal :		Strengthening York’s Support for Drug and Alcohol Recovery
Lead officer:		Ruth Hine
Date assessment completed:		04/05/25
Names of those who contributed to the assessment :
Name	Job title		Organisation	Area of expertise
Ruth Hine	Public Health Specialist Practitioner Advanced		CYC	Public Health
Peter Roderick	Director of Public Health		CYC	Public Health

Step 1 – Aims and intended outcomes 

1.1	What is the purpose of the proposal? Please explain your proposal in Plain English avoiding acronyms and jargon.
	To set out how the council will support the Community Recovery Hub at Wellington Row for residents with drug and alcohol issues, including the financial and contracting arranegements and the purpose of the hub To Set out how the council will further support the Recovery Movement in the city by endorsing the principles of the Inclusive Recovery City initiative

1.2	Are there any external considerations? (Legislation/government directive/codes of practice etc.)
	.The National Drugs Strategy (From Harm to Hope)

1.3

Who are the stakeholders and what are their interests?

The Recovery community in York including anyone in recovery from an addiction to substances including alcohol. There are a number of formal and informal groups in this area including but not limited to SMART UK, Alcoholic Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, York in Recovery, Lived Insights, as well as charities such as Chocolate & Co and the treatment providers Change Grow Live and Emerging Futures

1.4

What results/outcomes do we want to achieve and for whom?  This section should explain what outcomes you want to achieve for service users, staff and/or the wider community. Demonstrate how the proposal links to the Council Plan (2019- 2023) and other corporate strategies and plans.

Through this work and the wider Drugs and Alcohol Action Plan, we want to reduce harm in the city from drugs and alcohol through supporting more people to identify need and seek help, receive high quality treatment, and move into recovery which is sustained. It is estimated that nearly 4,000 people in York may have a need for treatment due to drug or alcohol use, although only around 20% are in treatment at any one time. The Council Plan 2023-2027 has a commitment to ‘Support more people on their journey of recovery from addiction, including through smoking cessation services and our recovery-based drug and alcohol model.’

Step 2 – Gathering the information and feedback 

2.1	What sources of data, evidence and consultation feedback do we have to help us understand the impact of the proposal on equality rights and human rights? Please consider a range of sources, including: consultation exercises, surveys, feedback from staff, stakeholders, participants, research reports, the views of equality groups, as well your own experience of working in this area etc.
Source of data/supporting evidence		Reason for using
Drug and Alcohol Needs Assessment		Background data on the population and health needs
Insights from lived experience to inform the vision for York’s Drug and Alcohol Strategy Youth Insight Survey 2025		Extensive insight into people’s experiences around substances which shapes the work of the Drugs and Alcohol Partnership
Co production workshops		2x workshops with service users to shape the Recovery Hub offer, this builds on many years of coproduction work around recovery dating back to 2013
Collaboration through the Community Recovery Hub Steering Group and the Inclusive Recovery Cities Steering group		Formal groups
Engagement with other cities, particularly Leeds and Middlesborough		Insight into similar Recovery hub models

Step 3 – Gaps in data and knowledge

3.1	What are the main gaps in information and understanding of the impact of your proposal?  Please indicate how any gaps will be dealt with.
Gaps in data or knowledge		Action to deal with this
Full evaluation of the Recovery hub principle		Ongoing lived experience work Activity data as part of monitoring the grant agreement
Full evaluation of the Inclusive Recovery Cities		Ongoing lived experience work Engagement with academics e.g. David Best as more cities become  Inclusive Recovery Cities to understand impact and best practice

Step 4 – Analysing the impacts or effects.

4.1	Please consider what the evidence tells you about the likely impact (positive or negative) on people sharing a protected characteristic, i.e. how significant could the impacts be if we did not make any adjustments? Remember the duty is also positive – so please identify where the proposal offers opportunities to promote equality and/or foster good relations.
Equality Groups and Human Rights.		Key Findings/Impacts	Positive (+) Negative (-) Neutral (0)	High (H) Medium (M) Low (L)
Age		The broad trends suggest that opiates and alcohol use are more prevalent amongst older adults and novel substances and non opiates eg Ketamine, cocaine, MDMA affect younger users. However the overall impact of high quality recovery work will be similar across the age bands	+	M
Disability		Whilst there are no direct impacts of this proposal on disabled people specifically, because these initiatives are intended to foster a culture of inclusion it is anticipated that positive effects will be felt for this group	0	L
Gender		Treatment services have in the past struggled to engage females as much as males, with poor identification of addiction issues and higher levels of stigma explaining some of this variation. Recovery work in the city will need to directly address this imbalance through accessible services and, at times, women-only provision.	+ If mitigations in place - If no mitigations are made	M
Gender Reassignment		Whilst there are no direct impacts of this proposal on people who have had gender reassignment specifically, because these initiatives are intended to foster a culture of inclusion it is anticipated that positive effects will be felt for this group	0	L
Marriage and civil partnership		Whilst there are no direct impacts of this proposal people related to their marital status specifically, because these initiatives are intended to foster a culture of inclusion it is anticipated that positive effects will be felt for this group	0	L
Pregnancy and maternity		Whilst there are no direct impacts of this proposal on pregnant people specifically, because these initiatives are intended to foster a culture of inclusion it is anticipated that positive effects will be felt for this group	0	L
Race		Racial inequality exists within health outcomes for those with addictions, as noted by the UK Addiction Treatment Centres: ‘black communities in Britain are both the most vulnerable to addiction and have the lowest access to support services. There are various reasons for this disparity in addiction and treatment statistics in black communities, such as socioeconomic factors and the availability of addiction treatment services.’ (Black communities among most vulnerable to addiction, with lowest support | UKAT blog)	+ If mitigations in place - If no mitigations are made	M
Religion and belief		Whilst there are no direct impacts of this proposal on people specifically due to their religion or belief, because these initiatives are intended to foster a culture of inclusion it is anticipated that positive effects will be felt for this group	0	L
Sexual orientation		Whilst there are no direct impacts of this proposal on people due to their sexual orientation specifically, because these initiatives are intended to foster a culture of inclusion it is anticipated that positive effects will be felt for this group	0	L
Other Socio-economic groups including :		Could other socio-economic groups be affected e.g. carers, ex-offenders, low incomes?
Carer		Existing recovery work is very open and supportive of people who have lived experience of caring for someone with addictions, and significant work in the city e.g. York Carers Centre programme has linked in with recovery groups such as those proposed to operate out of the Recovery Hub	+	M
Low income groups		Addictions are a major cause of financial breakdown and poverty. By moving people into recovery, we anticipate that lower income groups will be positively affected the most.	+	M
Veterans, Armed Forces Community		Veterans and those from the armed forces community have much higher rate of substances use disorder / addiction issues, and are well represented within the recovery community, so this work will positively improve their lives	+	M
Other
Impact on human rights:
List any human rights impacted.

Use the following guidance to inform your responses:

Indicate:

- Where you think that the proposal could have a POSITIVE impact on any of the equality groups like promoting equality and equal opportunities or improving relations within equality groups

- Where you think that the proposal could have a NEGATIVE impact on any of the equality groups, i.e. it could disadvantage them

- Where you think that this proposal has a NEUTRAL effect on any of the equality groups listed below i.e. it has no effect currently on equality groups.

It is important to remember that a proposal may be highly relevant to one aspect of equality and not relevant to another.

High impact (The proposal or process is very equality relevant)	There is significant potential for or evidence of adverse impact The proposal is institution wide or public facing The proposal has consequences for or affects significant numbers of people The proposal has the potential to make a significant contribution to promoting equality and the exercise of human rights.
Medium impact (The proposal or process is somewhat equality relevant)	There is some evidence to suggest potential for or evidence of adverse impact The proposal is institution wide or across services, but mainly internal The proposal has consequences for or affects some people The proposal has the potential to make a contribution to promoting equality and the exercise of human rights
Low impact (The proposal or process might be equality relevant)	There is little evidence to suggest that the proposal could result in adverse impact The proposal operates in a limited way The proposal has consequences for or affects few people The proposal may have the potential to contribute to promoting equality and the exercise of human rights

Step 5 - Mitigating adverse impacts and maximising positive impacts

5.1

Based on your findings, explain ways you plan to mitigate any unlawful prohibited conduct or unwanted adverse impact. Where positive impacts have been identified, what is been done to optimise opportunities to advance equality or foster good relations?

There are a number of groups within the community who, when suffering from addiction issues, experience poorer outcomes including less engagement access to services and compounding discrimination and stigma. Whilst on the whole these proposals will have many positive impacts from an inequalities point of view, extra effort will need to be made by statutory services and by the recovery community itself to reach, involve and include some groups, including females, minoritised ethnic communities, and veterans. This could include bespoke activities and sessions, dissemination of materials advertising events, and clear policies on discrimination and equalities tto guide behaviours around the hub.

Step 6 – Recommendations and conclusions of the assessment

6.1	Having considered the potential or actual impacts you should be in a position to make an informed judgement on what should be done. In all cases, document your reasoning that justifies your decision. There are four main options you can take:
- No major change to the proposal – the EIA demonstrates the proposal is robust.  There is no                         potential  for unlawful discrimination or adverse impact and you have taken all opportunities to    advance equality and foster good relations, subject to continuing monitor and review.
- Adjust the proposal – the EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. This involves taking steps to remove any barriers, to better advance quality or to foster good relations. - Continue with the proposal (despite the potential for adverse impact) – you should clearly set out the justifications for doing this and how you believe the decision is compatible with our obligations under the duty - Stop and remove the proposal – if there are adverse effects that are not justified and cannot be mitigated, you should consider stopping the proposal altogether. If a proposal leads to unlawful discrimination it should be removed or changed. Important: If there are any adverse impacts you cannot mitigate, please provide a compelling reason in the justification column.
Option selected		Conclusions/justification
No major change to the proposal		We believe that this proposal has positive equalities benefits in a number of areas, and the EIA identifies potential negatives which can be mitigated and turned into positives.

Step 7 – Summary of agreed actions resulting from the assessment

7.1	What action, by whom, will be undertaken as a result of the impact assessment.
Impact/issue		Action to be taken	Person responsible	Timescale
Policy		Work with York in Recovery and other community groups to ensure adequate equalities policies are in place	Ruth Hine	Ongoing
Access		Work with York in Recovery and other community groups to ensure that the Community recovery Hub is accessible to all and a range of groups can access and use the building	Ruth Hine	Ongoing

Step 8 - Monitor, review and improve

8. 1	How will the impact of your proposal be monitored and improved upon going forward?   Consider how will you identify the impact of activities on protected characteristics and other marginalised groups going forward? How will any learning and enhancements be capitalised on and embedded?
	Recovery Hub user surveys Future co-production / lived experience insight work Change Grow Live contract monitoring e.g. quality reports