Project
Greenwich Queen Elizabeth Alcohol Project
Description:
In 2006, Greenwich DAAT and Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) setup a specialist Substance Misuse Link Nurse team based at the QEH. The intention was to develop good practice in mainstream provision within the Accident & Emergency and Gastroenterology departments in relation to patients presenting with alcohol and drug misuse issues.
Since its conception the team has established:
- Alcohol screening and brief interventions in A&E
- Drug screening and referral in A&E
- Appropriate care pathways and referrals for QEH patients who receive prescribed detoxification from alcohol in acute medicine
With regards to the alcohol-related strand of this project the team has been active in a number of areas. They have delivered screening and brief interventions primarily in the A&E department at QEH using a locally developed toolkit which includes:
- A local version of AUDIT
- A unit calculator to help practitioners/patients work out daily units
- A work through booklet to help people think about their drinking
- A health promoters' guide to delivering the intervention
- A referral sheet for health promoters
With a view to increasing capacity in this area they have also delivered training in screening and brief interventions to other hospital staff. The nurses have also acted in an important support liaison role, linking QEH patients into appropriate care and after care treatments if necessary.
Project status: Ongoing
Project type: Screening and brief intervention
Project code: HQGW