Report Summary
This report provides members of the Forensic Services Committee with an overview of the Drug Driving Update.
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Meeting
The publication discussed was referenced in the meeting below
Forensic Services Committee - 6 August
Date : 06 August 2024
Location : Online
Criminal Toxicology – Drug Driving Performance
Internal performance for Section 5A case output within three months of receipt has remained high with the rolling average meeting the 95% target.
Internal performance for Section 4 case output within the three-month target remains low while aged cases are closed and removed from work in progress numbers. Work continues to prioritise all Section 4 cases submitted with process improvements being implemented to ensure Section 4 cases can be progressed within the required timescales prior to the return to a six-month Statutory Time Limit.
Output continues broadly on target with the rolling average number of cases meeting expected levels.
Internal capacity has increased through 2023/24 as a result
of the planned recruitment, training, and development activities (391 cases per month vs previous average of 278). It is anticipated to improve further when the new Section 5a MultiQuant methods are implemented within Q2/3. Outsourcing is being used to mitigate the capacity gap to release staff to continue the required development work.
Demand remains higher than the 250 cases per month expected with a slight decrease experienced in June. Cases over the monthly expected levels are immediately outsourced to ensure timeous completion and no there are no risks of backlog.
The open caseload (by month of incident) graph illustrates that good progress has been made in relation to reporting cases in a much timelier fashion. A very small number of cases are now at the older end of caseload profile, and these are justifiable (due to late submission or complex additional analysis).
A total of 14% of Section 5a and Section 4 drug driving cases being progressed internally are out with the three-month reporting period. There are no risks of time-bar for these cases at present with all due to be completed prior to their 12-month limit or the end of November 2024. 2% (6) of cases are older than six months.
Drug Driving demand and output remain in balance through a combination of internal reporting and reduced but ongoing outsourcing provision.
