Specialist alcohol nurses are to be put on duty around the clock in every A&E department in Greater Manchester to help beat the region's booze epidemic.
Health chiefs want medics with special experience in treating alcohol problems to spot patients who need help.
Health bosses say the move is a high priority and is one of a series of measures to drive down a rising number of drink-related hospital admissions that cost the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds each year.
A total of 67,891 people were admitted to hospital for alcohol-related harm across Greater Manchester last year.
Alcohol nurses are already in place in nine of Greater Manchester's 11 A&E departments, the M.E.N. understands.
Only Stockport and Oldham have yet to put the specialists in place. Bolton already offers a 24-hour service, which public health bosses hope will be rolled out across all the hospitals next year.
Under the plans, everyone admitted to A&E will be asked whether they have had alcohol and about their alcohol use.
Anyone believed to have an unhealthy drinking habit will be flagged up to the specialist staff member, who might have a background in either treatment programmes, counselling or alcohol-related medicine.
Patients would then be invited to come back to speak to them in more depth and, where necessary, put into treatment programmes.
Alan Higgins, Greater Manchester's lead Director of Public Health for alcohol, said: “The alcohol liaison nurses can pick up people who are turning up with alcohol problems and make sure they can get into appropriate treatment.
There could be significant cost savings made to the NHS in reducing admissions to hospital beds.” Manchester last year topped a national league for harm done by alcohol-– with Salford, Rochdale, Tameside and Oldham also named in the top ten.
Public health bosses have been regularly reporting to the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities’ health commission on plans to tackle the epidemic and are leading efforts to introduce a 50p per unit minimum price to help curb the binge drinking culture.
Corinne Power, 27, is one of the region's first alcohol specialist nurses.
Corinne, who works at Manchester Royal Infirmary, was formerly a staff nurse in A&E and took a special interest in alcohol-related health issues.
She says: “We provide people with information around alcohol and get across the message about healthy, safe drinking levels.
“Sometimes they see us directly when they come to A&E or they are invited back as an outpatient to one of the clinics we hold three times a week.
“If they are admitted and we think there is a problem with alcohol we will follow-up when they are on the wards.”
Patients are asked three questions when they arrive about their relationship with alcohol, including how often they drink and how many units they typically consume.
Corinne said: “That gives us an idea of whether its having an impact on their social life or work or causing distress.
“We're finding people are much more aware of units and engaging more with services. It was common to see the same people turning up again and again, and while there will always be new people coming into this process too, more of them are being directed into appropriate treatment.”
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When having been to a hospital with my husband who has been having treatment for a stomach complaint, the doctor several times told him to not drink as this might bring back the ilness. Despite being told repeatly that he didnt drink he obviously did not believe him. On the very rare occaissions that he does drink it is only around the 4 pints mark.
So if some one is telling the truth about what they do drink and is not believed, how about those that do have a problem with alcohol and lie about it. Will they then be bleived?
I took a friend to MRI a couple of weeks ago who very rarely drinks. When questioned about his drinking habits he told her he had two pints that month and that was about the same each month now, bearing that it was near the end of the month, she then proceded to lecture him on how he could be at risk from this, that and the other and that you don't see a drunk doctor. She obviously hasn't been to a student doctor and nurses bash. Whilst yes I can understand this for alchol related injuries etc what a waste of manpower lumping everyone in with it.
About time too. In fact when the next drunk appears separate to a side ward dedicated to this problem. The fault is to do with the policy of NHS A+E being open to all.
UK has the highest number of alcohol related deaths an high number of disorder relating to alcohol, so im glad that it looks like we are trying to do something about it! so stop complaining and take this as a positive step! and are you happy with the level of abuse our staff gets from drunks???
If they turn up at A&E DRUNK put them in a steel container out side to sleep it off instead of cluttering up emergancy work, it is self inflicted and therefore should be self treated to get over it.It is NOT AN EMERGANCY.
You want to stop all these problems with drink,well one way is to stop giving extra money to people who claim benefits and are given extra because they have a drink problem,oh yeah lets give them more money so they can buy more thats a great idea,that will stop them,and as for extra nurses we dont have enough money to treat people with non alcohol related problems but hey lets give them what they dont deserve,if someone goes out at the weekend and gets drunk thats self inflicted but we'll put extra staff on, if you need anything else thats tough
It's the first drink that does the damage. In my experience by the time someone needs to control their drinking it is already too late and the only answer is entire abstenance. Neither does a long period of sobriety allow the problem drinker to drink safely. The good news is that one doesn't need to imbibe to live a fulfilling and useful life. I know I am that person and I hope never to drink alcohol again a day at a time.
There is an underlying dishonesty within Government agencies and the healthcare industries when it comes to alcohol. Despite the fact that since 2002 alcohol consumption has been declining the scare stories emanation from the ranks of the scaremongers still abound. For those interested in discovering the reasons for the increase in "alcohol related admissions" despite a decline in consumption would do well to take a look at the change in methodology in classifying alcohol related injuries. You could be sitting at home watching the X Factor (God forbid), sipping a nice glass of Merlot when a firework comes through the window and lodges in your eye, this injury is likely to be classified as alcohol related when you attend the hospital.
Here is the note that appears on the NHS report regarding the increse in alcohol related admissions.
"the annual number of alcohol related admissions to hospital in England rose by nearly 70 per cent in five years to reach just over 863,000 in 2007/08. These figures use a new methodology reflecting a substantial change in the way the impact of alcohol on hospital admissions is calculated. Previously the calculation counted only admissions for reasons specifically related to alcohol. The new calculation, for which the methodology is described in the report, includes a proportion of the admissions for reasons that are not always related to alcohol, but can be in some instances (such as accidental injury). "
So the new figures are absolutely useless for comparison with previous years admissions where the same methodolgy was not used and also explains the huge increase. It has been estimated that 75% of alcohol related admission numbers are not directly linked to alcohol but fall within the assossiation with alcohol, such as a firework in the eye.
But all this gives the high and mighty of the theraputic state the amunition to interfere in our lives.
My friend informed me a couple of years past that he came on shift one evening, at a local hospital, to find some poor soul had drank the hand cleanser (When it still contained an alcohol base) If people want to self abuse there is nothing you can do about it, however sad the case.
I believe most of us 'oldies' have experience of that directly or indirectly.
the doctor asked me how much do yu drink...i said all of it