The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) have released alcohol commissioning guidance to support attainment of the new alcohol quality standard.
The guidance builds on:
- NICE CG115 - alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use
- NICE PH24 - alcohol-use disorders - preventing harmful drinking
- NICE CG 100 - alcohol-use disorders: physical complications
- Supporting resources including alcohol pathways and further tools.
A NICE press release said the guide supports commissioners to design services to improve the identification and treatment of hazardous drinking, harmful drinking and alcohol dependence in children, young people and adults. It includes:
- a benchmark section to help commissioners to assess levels of alcohol dependence and hazardous and harmful drinking in their population. In England the benchmark for the level of harmful drinking and alcohol dependence is 3.8% or 3,800 per 100,000 population aged 16 years and above.
- a commissioning and benchmarking tool that commissioners can use to calculate the costs and savings of increasing access to screening and brief interventions and to specialist alcohol treatment for adults.
A press release for the quality standard said they aim to offer 'clear, concise statements and measures that act as markers of high-quality, clinical and cost-effective patient care' and states:
'Alcohol dependence affects about 4% of the population (around 1.1 million people) in England aged between 16-65 years old. Over 24% of adults in the UK consume alcohol in a way that is potentially or actually harmful to their health or wellbeing. Alcohol misuse is also a growing problem in children and young people in England, with an estimated 13 children a day admitted to hospital as a result of drinking alcohol.'
NICE have also produced a podcast discussing the commissioning guide. Other alcohol-related resources can be found on the Alcohol Learning Centre.
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