Alcohol Policy UK

NHS hospital Alcohol Care Team guidance released

A set of resources relating to the delivery of hospital-based Alcohol Care Teams (ACTs) has been released.

The guidance, co-produced with Public Health England (PHE), follows a commitment in the NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) earlier this year to establish ACTs in hospitals with the highest rate of alcohol dependence-related admissions.

A summary document [pdf] sets out the role of ACTs as part of an effective local area alcohol treatment system, also supported by a core service descriptor [pdf], a case study example [pdf], and a checklist for commissioners [XLS].

The guidance states admission to hospital is 'often the first time alcohol dependence is identified and diagnosed as an underlying or primary condition, so hospital admission provides an ideal opportunity for early intervention and access to more comprehensive alcohol treatment.'

UK alcohol clinical guidelines to be developed

Public Health England (PHE) has announced it will lead the development of UK-wide clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment to support alcohol treatment practice.

The guidelines aim to develop a clear consensus on good practice and help services to implement interventions for harmful and dependent drinking as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) CG115 guideline. The guideline will aim to promote and support consistent good practice and improve the quality of service provision, resulting in better outcomes.

The guidelines will provide:

Prevention Green Paper: another missed opportunity?

The recent release of the Prevention Green Paper consultation for England has prompted has a series of criticisms over a lack of effective actions to address alcohol harms.

Whilst the Green Paper claims to set out a 'new approach to public health that involves a new personalised, prevention model', alcohol and heath groups have spoken out over the absence of any commitments that reflect Public Health England's (PHE) own evidence review.

NICE consultation on QOF IBA indicators & prevention and treatment guidance

The National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE) is undertaking a consultation to review its guidance on prevention (PH24) and treatment (CG115), and new proposed QOF indicators for alcohol brief intervention in Primary Care.

QOF indicators: a boost for Primary Care IBA?

The Quality and Outcome Framework (QOF) forms a central part of the delivery of Primary Care services, involving a wide range of indicators to measure and incentivise performance against. A new set of alcohol QOF items are being proposed to help prompt alcohol brief intervention (also known as Identification and Brief Advice) when patients present with a number of illnesses or conditions commonly associated with alcohol misuse.

Findings bulletins: residential treatment reviewed, brief intervention implementation, domestic violence & more

Recent bulletins from the Findings drug and alcohol bank: 

Glass half full for residential/inpatient treatment of drinking problems in England

For the small cohort of people with severe and chronic drinking problems, this study found that residential and inpatient treatments were effective over half the time based on the important public health indicator of not just completing treatment successfully, but also not returning to treatment within six months. Ground-breaking and important as this is, the findings refer only to people who accessed treatment. What does this mean for those whose vulnerabilities make them eligible for intensive support but go hand-in-hand with significant barriers to treatment?

Can the disappointing roll-out of brief alcohol interventions be cost-effectively turned around?

£6 million capital spending for local alcohol projects

Public Health England (PHE) have announced 23 local authorities will be sharing a £6 million capital fund to invest in improving services and facilities for people with alcohol problems. Whilst some welcomed the news, others also pointed out ongoing cuts to national public health budgets and declines in overall alcohol treatment figures.

PHE say the current capital funding bids seek to improve access to alcohol treatment and to help meet the needs of parents or people experiencing rough sleeping with alcohol problems. For example, Oxfordshire will develop a dedicated alcohol centre within the ‘Oxford Homeless Hub’ as well as a clinical space in the Salvation Army Homelessness Hub.

Street drinking in Barking & Dagenham: a research report

A new research report detailing the experiences of street drinkers in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham highlights the lack of published research on the subject, as well as the complexity of the issue and possible responses.

Download Street Drinking in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham: 2018 Research Report [pdf].

The report was commissioned by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and conducted by researchers at London South Bank University in partnership with local service provider WDP. The project used in-depth interviews and field observations alongside local outreach workers from April to October 2018 involving people in recovery, key workers, and local residents.

First guidelines for diagnosing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)

New guidelines to help healthcare professionals in diagnosing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have been published by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN).

It is estimated that approximately 3.2% of babies born in the UK are affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), though the guidance says currently few children are identified or receive support. As such, many children have neurodevelopmental disorders where Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) has not been considered as a possible cause. However early diagnosis and intervention from birth and in the first years of life can make significant differences to the developmental progress of affected children, thus the guidance seeks to improve understanding, identification and care for those affected.

Findings bulletins: education evidence, Scottish drug & alcohol strategy, treatment & recovery lessons

Recent bulletins from the Findings drug and alcohol bank: 

Alcohol harm reduction education gains credibility in UK

Trialled in schools in Northern Ireland and Scotland, an alcohol harm reduction curriculum for secondary schools plus a parental component led to fewer pupils drinking heavily at a single sitting. Bolstered by this study, school programmes aiming to reduce harm rather than prevent drinking per se now have a limited but relatively good research record in the UK.

A new strategy for Scotland: ‘rights, respect and recovery’

Already credited with being the most closely aligned of UK nations with evidence-based recommendations, Scotland’s new strategy on alcohol and other drugs isn’t afraid to stray into value-driven territory. Eschewing messages about ‘personal responsibility’ in favour of respect and dignity, the Scottish Government frames substance use as an urgent human rights and public health issue.

Nine areas awarded children & families innovation fund; new safeguarding guidance & capital fund bid

Earlier this month Public Health England (PHE) announced nine projects that have been awarded funding as part of the innovation fund to support local authorities seeking to address the needs of children of dependent drinkers.

New guidance for local authorities on safeguarding children with alcohol and drug dependent parents has also been released, as well as a new round of capital funding to improve access to alcohol treatment in the community.