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29/06/2010
More than 50,000 Scots received an 'alcohol brief intervention' in 2009-10, helping them address their drinking before it causes lasting health damage, according to figures published today.
The latest figures, published by ISD Scotland, show that 82,564 brief interventions have been carried out since 2008-09. The target is for 149,449 to be completed by the end of 2010-11.
Brief interventions are used when someone visits their GP or hospital and it is clear to the professionals that alcohol may be a factor in their ill-health. They typically take the form of short motivational interviews, in which the costs and benefits of drinking are discussed, along with information about health risks.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said:
"We're clear that Scotland needs to tackle its damaging relationship with alcohol. Alcohol brief interventions allow people to address their drinking before they cause lasting harm to their health.
"Today's figures are encouraging. After a steady start, health boards have made significant progress towards our challenging target which is now within reach. This is good news as brief interventions are not just clinically effective - they're also cost-effective.
"Too many Scots are drinking to hazardous levels and that's why I expect health boards to continue using brief interventions to help people drink more sensibly."
Among the health boards which recorded notable increases in the number of brief interventions is NHS Western Isles. With a target to deliver 772 brief interventions over the three year period, the board has delivered 1,108 in the first two years.
The health board recognised that brief interventions offered aan opportunity to find new and innovative ways to tackle alcohol problems within the community and focus on preventing alcohol problems before they begin.
Considerable work was carried out to establish delivery arrangements and build capacity across the priority settings of primary care (including the Well North anticipatory care project), Accident and Emergency and antenatal.
Well North Manager Sara Bartram said:
"We knew that we were already asking people about their alcohol use while we carried out their CVD health check and that it was an important element of the lifestyle advice that we offered to the public.
"Alcohol Brief Interventions offered a structured approach that improved the likelihood of letting people more accurately assess their own drinking patterns and increase our staff's abilities to intervene and encourage safer ways of drinking where appropriate. This meant a longer health check but allowed us to improve the preventative service we offered.
"Most of the people we screen and carry out an intervention with are able to consider reducing their consumption or patterns of drinking with our help, but because of the approach we occasionally are able to help people with existing alcohol problems but who have not come forward to existing services.
"For example a 41 year old male was recently screened for an Alcohol Brief Intervention which revealed that he was drinking at very dangerous levels. He agreed to be referred to the Alcohol and Mental Health Liaison Nurse. He was given an appointment for the following day and within 24 hours he had been referred to the Mental Health Service with anxiety issues and counselling had been arranged to address his alcohol issues."
Colin Gilmour, NHS Western Isles' Health Improvement Manager, said:
"There is no doubt that the whole organisation got behind the delivery of this initiative. The NHS Board, with the active support of the Chairman and Chief Executive, encouraged all senior managers to consider how they could best deliver alcohol brief interventions with the local population.
"A steering group was established from a wide range of staff, who quickly perceived the value in trying to establish the ethos of brief interventions and structured advice about alcohol across the organisation. A comprehensive training programme across all staff groups was subsequently implemented. It was felt that this approach was much more likely to engender culture change, firstly within the organisation and secondly within the population."
NHS Orkney delivered 669 alcohol brief interventions in 2009-10.
Andrea Spence-Jones, ABI Co-ordinator for NHS Orkney, said
"Our success in delivering alcohol brief interventions is the result of preparation, planning and passion. We spent time visiting GP practices and discussing the programme with them and this hands-on approach encouraged staff to embrace the opportunity to enhance their skills. We have also been flexible in the way we have delivered the training programme, taking it to staff in their departments to fit in with shift patterns.
"The success of ABI is also due to a committed partnership approach that actively seeks solutions and does not allow negativity or lack of initial interest to get in the way. It has become something that people are talking about and want to get involved in."
NHS Forth Valley delivered 3,668 brief interventions in 2009-10.
Fiona Mackenzie, Chief Executive of NHS Forth Valley and Chair of the Forth Valley Alcohol and Drug Partnership, said:
"We are very aware of the impact of the culture of drinking to excess in Scotland and are pleased with the progress we are making in Forth Valley to get people to realise the harm this may cause. We have been working extensively with our primary care colleagues and are very grateful for the input of GPs and other health professionals. Our community pharmacies have also been engaged in helping people realise more about the impact of increased alcohol consumption."
In 2008-09 Scottish Government introduced a three year NHS target for screening for alcohol problems and delivering brief interventions where appropriate. The target requires boards to deliver a cumulative number of screenings and brief interventions (149,449), over the period 2008-09 - 2010-11, in Primary Care, antenatal care and Emergency Departments. The aim is that brief interventions become part of the standard offer of the NHS.
More than 50,000 Scots received an 'alcohol brief intervention' in 2009-10, helping them address their drinking before it causes lasting health damage, according to figures published today.
The latest figures, published by ISD Scotland, show that 82,564 brief interventions have been carried out since 2008-09. The target is for 149,449 to be completed by the end of 2010-11.
Brief interventions are used when someone visits their GP or hospital and it is clear to the professionals that alcohol may be a factor in their ill-health. They typically take the form of short motivational interviews, in which the costs and benefits of drinking are discussed, along with information about health risks.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said:
"We're clear that Scotland needs to tackle its damaging relationship with alcohol. Alcohol brief interventions allow people to address their drinking before they cause lasting harm to their health.
"Today's figures are encouraging. After a steady start, health boards have made significant progress towards our challenging target which is now within reach. This is good news as brief interventions are not just clinically effective - they're also cost-effective.
"Too many Scots are drinking to hazardous levels and that's why I expect health boards to continue using brief interventions to help people drink more sensibly."
Among the health boards which recorded notable increases in the number of brief interventions is NHS Western Isles. With a target to deliver 772 brief interventions over the three year period, the board has delivered 1,108 in the first two years.
The health board recognised that brief interventions offered aan opportunity to find new and innovative ways to tackle alcohol problems within the community and focus on preventing alcohol problems before they begin.
Considerable work was carried out to establish delivery arrangements and build capacity across the priority settings of primary care (including the Well North anticipatory care project), Accident and Emergency and antenatal.
Well North Manager Sara Bartram said:
"We knew that we were already asking people about their alcohol use while we carried out their CVD health check and that it was an important element of the lifestyle advice that we offered to the public.
"Alcohol Brief Interventions offered a structured approach that improved the likelihood of letting people more accurately assess their own drinking patterns and increase our staff's abilities to intervene and encourage safer ways of drinking where appropriate. This meant a longer health check but allowed us to improve the preventative service we offered.
"Most of the people we screen and carry out an intervention with are able to consider reducing their consumption or patterns of drinking with our help, but because of the approach we occasionally are able to help people with existing alcohol problems but who have not come forward to existing services.
"For example a 41 year old male was recently screened for an Alcohol Brief Intervention which revealed that he was drinking at very dangerous levels. He agreed to be referred to the Alcohol and Mental Health Liaison Nurse. He was given an appointment for the following day and within 24 hours he had been referred to the Mental Health Service with anxiety issues and counselling had been arranged to address his alcohol issues."
Colin Gilmour, NHS Western Isles' Health Improvement Manager, said:
"There is no doubt that the whole organisation got behind the delivery of this initiative. The NHS Board, with the active support of the Chairman and Chief Executive, encouraged all senior managers to consider how they could best deliver alcohol brief interventions with the local population.
"A steering group was established from a wide range of staff, who quickly perceived the value in trying to establish the ethos of brief interventions and structured advice about alcohol across the organisation. A comprehensive training programme across all staff groups was subsequently implemented. It was felt that this approach was much more likely to engender culture change, firstly within the organisation and secondly within the population."
NHS Orkney delivered 669 alcohol brief interventions in 2009-10.
Andrea Spence-Jones, ABI Co-ordinator for NHS Orkney, said
"Our success in delivering alcohol brief interventions is the result of preparation, planning and passion. We spent time visiting GP practices and discussing the programme with them and this hands-on approach encouraged staff to embrace the opportunity to enhance their skills. We have also been flexible in the way we have delivered the training programme, taking it to staff in their departments to fit in with shift patterns.
"The success of ABI is also due to a committed partnership approach that actively seeks solutions and does not allow negativity or lack of initial interest to get in the way. It has become something that people are talking about and want to get involved in."
NHS Forth Valley delivered 3,668 brief interventions in 2009-10.
Fiona Mackenzie, Chief Executive of NHS Forth Valley and Chair of the Forth Valley Alcohol and Drug Partnership, said:
"We are very aware of the impact of the culture of drinking to excess in Scotland and are pleased with the progress we are making in Forth Valley to get people to realise the harm this may cause. We have been working extensively with our primary care colleagues and are very grateful for the input of GPs and other health professionals. Our community pharmacies have also been engaged in helping people realise more about the impact of increased alcohol consumption."
In 2008-09 Scottish Government introduced a three year NHS target for screening for alcohol problems and delivering brief interventions where appropriate. The target requires boards to deliver a cumulative number of screenings and brief interventions (149,449), over the period 2008-09 - 2010-11, in Primary Care, antenatal care and Emergency Departments. The aim is that brief interventions become part of the standard offer of the NHS.