ILLY Commissioner’s Forum 2025 – Bridging the Gap: Meeting the Needs of Underserved Groups

 
Since our last Commissioner’s Forum in November 2025, we have seen services across the sector continue to face ever growing challenges. Drug related deaths are still on the rise, synthetic opioids such as nitazenes remain a big concern, and the needs of the client group are becoming increasingly complex.

In this environment, there is a real risk that certain groups may become marginalised or underserved. Yet, across the country, we continue to be inspired by the innovation, collaboration and determination that services are showing to make meaningful, lasting change within our communities.

At the ILLY Commissioner’s Forum 2025, we are delighted to welcome some amazing guest speakers who are doing just that. Together, they will share insights and examples of innovative approaches that are making a real impact across the sector.

This year’s discussions will focus on:

  • Reducing Drug Related Deaths
  • Tackling the rise of ketamine use
  • Improving treatment options for women

We warmly invite you to be part of the conversation. Join us as we share ideas, learn from each other, and explore new ways to bridge the gaps and ensure that no group is left behind.

Guest Speakers

Dr. Emmert Roberts  – King’s College London
Dr Emmert Roberts is a Senior Clinical Lecturer in Addiction Psychiatry at the National Addiction Centre, King’s College London (KCL) and a Consultant Addiction Psychiatrist at South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM). He is a Senior Harkness Fellow at the Commonwealth Fund and a National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Advanced Fellow. His clinical work and research focuses on ways to harness national datasets to reduce negative outcomes for people who use alcohol and/or other drugs.

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/emmert-roberts
 

Lydia Clark – Centre for Justice Innovation
Lydia Clark is a Senior Research Officer at the Centre for Justice Innovation, working on the Centre’s Women in Justice work. She is passionate about ensuring that all women’s experiences and needs are recognised and met across society. Lydia holds an MA in Human Rights and Social Justice, where she specialised in feminist research methods and violence against women and girls. Her current work focuses on improving women’s experiences within the criminal and family justice systems, with a particular emphasis on gender and trauma-responsive approaches to policy and practice. Most recently, her research explored what women identify as the key elements of effective treatment, comparing mixed-gender and gender-responsive interventions, and highlighting the need for whole-system approaches to achieve meaningful change.

https://justiceinnovation.org/
 

Angela Freeman – Public Health Officer (Norfolk)
Angela Freeman – Norfolk County Council – Public Health Officer (Adult Drug & Alcohol Commissioning Team), co-chair of the Norfolk Drug & Alcohol Partnership (NDAP) Ketamine Task & Finish Group.

Angela has worked at Norfolk County Council in a variety of roles across multiple departments for the past 20 years, and joined Public Health in 2013. She has recently completed a BSc degree in Public Health, and now works in the Adult Drug & Alcohol Commissioning Team focusing on the Ketamine portfolio, including co-chairing the Task & Finish Group of NDAP, which is a partnership collaboration across policing, probation, acute healthcare (hospitals and ambulance service), treatment providers and public health, developing integrated treatment pathways and education/workforce training, and commissioning media awareness campaigns for the public utilising the voice of lived experience.

https://www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk/who-we-are/working-in-partnership/norfolk-drug-and-alcohol-partnership/

If you have any questions or would like to find out more, please get in touch with our Client Services Team and we’ll be happy to help:

Phone 020 4566 5727   email  clientservices@illycorp.com