Alcohol Policy UK

Alcohol field station for Camden

A special patrol of paramedics will treat drunken revellers in the streets of Camden Town in a bid to relieve pressure on hospitals. The pilot scheme to station a specific ambulance team in the area comes amid concerns there are too many alcohol-related admissions to Accident and Emergency from the area on Friday and Saturday nights.

Under the plans being developed by Camden’s Primary Care Trust and the London Ambulance Service, a team of paramedics in an ambulance will be based in the streets around Camden Town Tube station. They will be looking for drinkers who “appear to be intoxicated by alcohol”.

The aim is to treat them before they have to be taken to hospital accident and emergency departments, easing the pressure on the Royal Free and University College hospitals at peak times. The scheme is due to be operating by August, although the specific hours of cover are still being worked out.  Camden New Journal

See also previous posts about alcohol field stations

Glasgow tops the table for alcohol-related hospital admissions in Scotland

Glasgow has Scotland's highest rate of alcohol-related hospital admissions, new figures have shown. The NHS statistics said an average of 860 people per 100,000 were admitted between 2004 and 2006 in Scotland. But in the east end of Glasgow that rose to 1,505, compared to a regional low of 501 in East Renfrewshire.

Alcohol misuse is estimated to cost Scotland £2.25bn every year, with related deaths more than doubling in the past decade. The statistics showed wide variation across Scotland in the number of people admitted to hospital as a result of alcohol-related illness.

East and south east Glasgow and south east Highland were among the worst areas nationally, parts of which had 3% of the population admitted to hospital at least once because of alcohol. But in areas such as Dumfries and Galloway, East Dunbartonshire and Edinburgh, the admission rate was just 0.2%. BBC News

Download Health and Wellbeing Profiles 2008 report

Funding opportunities for GP alcohol inteventions?

Ministers have put forward plans for  £50 million of clinical funding that would be partly used to pay for Screening and Brief Interventions (SBIs) by GPs. The funding would see the development of a number of Locally Enhanced Services for GPs, a framework by which GPs are paid to screen and offer appropriate interventions to patients.

The clinical funding, if approved, would also pay for enhanced services for GPs to address osteoporosis, heart failure, improved collection of ethnicity data and annual health checks for those with learning disabilities.

However a number of obstacles are likely to affect the implementation of any such clinical programmes within the development of GP services. These include the pay dispute involving the British Medical Association (BMA) and concerns over the position of such proposals in relation to the development of the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF). Dr Ahmat Fuat, a GP in Darlington and deputy chairman of Primary Care cardio-vascular society, candidly rasied his concerns relating to alcohol treatment in primary care, stating: "You’d probably need £50m to tackle alcohol alone."

The Health Secretary Alan Johnson nonetheless highlighted the opportunities being made available within the new agendas, saying:

"‘This is about developing high-quality services with a strong focus on prevention. It’s a great opportunity for entrepreneurial GPs as well as social enterprises, voluntary organisations and the independent sector to develop innovative services."

Increasing numbers of PCTs are already commissioning alcohol enhanced services either through Choosing Health or other local funding streams such as in Lewisham.

For more information follow the Pulse medical journal for GPs.

Wirral sets up screeening and brief interventions in 56 pharmacies

Wirral PCT has launched Screening and Brief Interventions (SBIs) in 56 of the district's pharmacies, aiming to have all 86 covered as part of the 2007-2010 local alcohol strategy. The developments follow SBIs being set up across GP surgeries in Wirral last year, a setting well suited for SBIs and supported by national guidance. In pharmacy settings, people will be screened by being asked to fill in a short questionnaire and being provided with advice, information or onward referral as appropriate. Follow-up telephone calls will also be made to assess how clients may have responded to the intervention or to deliver any further support.

Wirral has amongst the highest rates for alcohol misuse in the country, with over half of men in Merseyside regualrly drinking more than the reccomended guidelines. According to the Liverpool Daily Post, Andy Mills, head of partnership and engagement at Wirral PCT, said:

“Wirral is leading the way nationally, and many pharmacists have already started running routine alcohol screenings. Wirral PCT is now looking to get all pharmacies involved in providing this service.”

Trusts across the country are increasingly commisisoning SBIs as part of local approaches to reducing alcohol misuse, particularly in primary care, A&E and criminal justice settings. Recently a guidance framework for commissioners was relesaed by the NHS, the Alcohol Primary Care Service Framework.

Alcohol Primary Care Service Framework released

The NHS have released Primary Care Service Framework: Alcohol Services in Primary Care, designed to support commissioners, practitioners and providers in setting up alcohol interventions in primary care.

The document is likely to be welcomed across the country as increasing numbers of PCTs and local authorities are setting up Screening and Brief Intervention programmes within primary care settings, particularly with General Practitioners and in cases other settings such as pharmacies.

Previously there had been no specific frameworks to help local commissioners and practitioners set up such programmes, despite national guidance such as Models of Care for Alcohol Misusers (MoCAM) and Alcohol Misuse Interventions: Guidance on developing a local programme of improvement. The Alcohol Services in Primary Care Framework may be particularly useful in helping commissioners and practitioners:

• Scope and define suitable services
• Identify key agendas and frameworks
• Identify suitable evidence bases and local need
• Identify service objectives and intended health outcomes
• Set up suitable governance, monitoring and evaluation arrangements
• Identify suitable contract management
• Identify suitable review, variation and recommissioning process
• Find supporting documents, guidance, definitions and Read codes

Where commissioners may still be stuck is around pricing of services with no recommended or nationally agreed prices.

The new framework comes as part of 6 new Primary Care Service Frameworks falling within objectives of providing enhanced, localised service provision within the Practice Based Commissioning agenda.

Alcohol hospital admissions hit squad announced

A specialist squad is to be set up to help towns with the most drink-related hospital admissions fight their alcohol problems.  Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced the formation of the National Alcohol Support Team during a speech on tackling health inequalities.

The 10 worst-affected towns or local authority areas across England will get targeted support by March next year. The Alcohol Support Team will be made up of civil servants who will advise primary care trusts about how they can tackle alcohol misuse in their areas.

Measures could include introducing specialist alcohol nurses into A&E to offer support to patients for drinking-related problems, or offering safe drinking advice in settings such as sexual health clinics. The Department of Health highlighted evidence to show that for every eight people who received brief advice, one cut down on the amount of alcohol they drank. In addition to the 10 visits in this financial year, there will be around 18 visits in 2009-10, and at least 20 the following year.  BBC News

For more information, see this previous post.

Alcohol Liaison Seminar, Wednesday 11th June, updated programme

The upcoming Alcohol Liaison Seminar for nurses and drugs or alcohol workers with an interest in alcohol liaison in hospital or healthcare settings, has a slightly revised programme, though will still be taking place on the 11th June in Leicestershire.

The updated programme and to book your place here

The previous event and audio presentations here

Alcohol Liaison Seminar, Wednesday 11th June

An Alcohol Liaison Seminar will take place on Wednesday 11th June 2008 in Leicestershire, following the success of forums in 2006 and 2007. The event is expected to be attended mainly by nurses and alcohol/drug workers in hospital or healthcare settings, although commissioners or service managers may wish to enquire about availability.

Further details on the event and how to book your place here

We reported on the previous event, with audio and presentations here.

Three quarters of drinkers do not know units in glass of wine

77% of drinkers do not know that a typical glass of wine contains 3 units, according to a  YouGov survey of 1,429 people. A BBC report said the survey, conducted on behalf of the Department of Health, also found that a third of people did not know their recommended daily limits of 3-4 units per day for a man and 2-3 units per day for a woman. The study also showed that of those surveyed, half drank alcohol at least two to three times per week although 82% reported to knowing what a unit of alcohol was.

The findings come as the Department of Health continues a further campaign to raise unit awareness, although there has been increasing discussion over the effectiveness of such messages.

NHS statitics on alcohol report prompts further calls for action

The NHS this week released the report Statistics on alcohol: England 2008, compiled from a range of previously published alcohol related information and data. Whilst the report may not contain new data, it has re-emphasised the growing cost of alcohol misuse and prompted a range of news and media reports.

A Guardian article quoted a number of leading figures speaking in response, including the Public Health minister, Dawn Primarolo, who referred to the new £6 million campaign launched this week to raise alcohol unit awareness. Spokespersons for the British Liver Trust and drugs charity Turning Point raised concerns over the growing level of harm from alcohol and long waits some face to receive treatment. Professor Ian Gilmore of the Royal College of Physicians continued to call for  further controls on the extent of cheap and readily available alcohol. A report from the Department of Health is expected in July that will inform the government on the impact of price and harm to society, following earlier reports that such moves would be considered if supermarkets and retailers continued to act irresponsibly.

An article in the Times highlighted the growing concern over alcohol misuse by young people, citing the Office for National Statistics data that showed more 13 year olds had drank alcohol than not, whilst also drawing attention to a Home Office audit that had found extensive abuse of voluntary codes of practise by retailers.