E-bulletin for September 2009

Headlines

Articles

HubCAPP redesign and re-launched

HubCAPP has fast become an invaluable resource for the alcohol health sector since launching in March 2008. During the past year HubCAPP has joined the Department of Health's Alcohol Improvement Programme and is now a key part of the Alcohol Learning Centre (ALC). The HubCAPP and ALC team have re-launched the website to be more closely aligned with ALC in branding and design.

Take a look here: www.hubcapp.org.uk

From Policy to Project

Coventry Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy and linked project

The Coventry Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy 2008-2011 is a key part of the Coventry Community Safety Plan and will deliver improvements in alcohol related health, crime and disorder.

The strategy is based around four key themes:

  • Treatment and care
  • Crime and community safety
  • Young people
  • Licensing and the alcohol industry

The primary responsibility for developing and implementing the strategy in Coventry rests with the Community Safety Partnership, comprised of a range of stakeholders from the health, criminal justice, social care and voluntary sectors. This multi-agency representation has been crucial in enabling the partnership to continuously consult with key stakeholders throughout the strategy's development.

Delivery of the strategy will be through the co-ordination and alignment of existing services although additional funding may be explored to provide initial funding for new areas of work.

A strategic project directly linked to this strategy is:

  • Coventry Alcohol Business Case

    The Business Case aims to identify a package of interventions to deal effectively with local alcohol related health problems by: increasing the number of referrals into treatment services; reducing alcohol-related violence and hospital admissions; reducing levels of alcohol consumption and increasing awareness of health implications attached to alcohol use. These interventions will sit within the existing model of care and will have identified targets and service measures outlined before and during the delivery period.

    This business case was submitted as a proposal to the Professional Executive Committee, the Coventry Community Safety Partnership and the Joint Commissioning Group for approval. Link

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New Additions to the Hub

Blackpool SafeHaven Bus

BSafe Blackpool and Helping Hand worked together to pilot a Safe Haven bus in Blackpool town centre during to help those in need of assistance, or those who just wanted to stop for a chat and a 'breather'.

The Safe Haven bus ran every Saturday evening between 9.00pm and 2.00am from December 2008 and May 2009. It was also supported by a Taxi Marshall scheme to take home people who were vulnerable. The pilot ran for 6 months and was initially funded by Bsafe Blackpool partnership (made up of Blackpool Council, the Police and NHS Blackpool). It is now funded for a further six months by NHS Blackpool.

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Derby Consultation on a Proposed New Treatment Model

A new treatment model for alcohol services was proposed as part of Derby City's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy in 2008. A consultation was then run on the new model between May and June 2009.

Prior to the consultation, efforts had been made to address local issues within the treatment system but it was felt that the greatest weakness was the lack of development and further expansion of primary care alcohol treatment (including shared care).

Around 600 consultation packs were circulated via the web, hard copy and by direct contact. Service providers were also asked to promote the consultation with their clients. The consultation took 3 months and it is estimated that two thirds of the time of a team consisting of three people was taken up with the process.

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Coalville and Hinckley Night Time Economy Bluetooth Pilot Leicestershire

The Leicestershire Bluetooth Pilot took place in Coalville and Hinckley to transmit Bluetooth messages to young people in the town centre during weekend evenings in August 2008. The project piloted Bluetooth technology to warn revellers against drinking too much and causing trouble for other people enjoying a night out.

Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology used for connecting and transferring information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops and PCs. This type of marketing was seen as being relevant to younger age groups are more likely to own a mobile phone or a Bluetooth enabled device. Messages were sent during Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings with messages around getting home safely.

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Updates from HubCAPP and Alcohol Learning Centre

Update your project

You can now update your own HubCAPP project/s, including contact details and work that has taken place since your project went live. Updates can be made at any time, giving you greater ownership of the information displayed on the site. You can update your projects via the Alcohol Learning Centre (ALC) user accounts. To do this, follow the links below or go to 'My Details' at the top of the HubCAPP website.

If you are an existing registered user of ALC - you can use your existing login details to access your account. Go to: http://www.alcohollearningcentre.org.uk/useraccount/

If you are not registered on ALC - you will need to register in order to be able to update your projects. Please go to: http://www.alcohollearningcentre.org.uk/useraccount/ to complete your registration.

Registering on ALC has further benefits in that you have options to subscribe to the e-newsletter, join debates and discussion forums with colleagues and manage event bookings.

Search by High Impact Change

The Department of Health has identified a number of High Impact Changes which are calculated to be the most effective actions in the reduction of alcohol-related harm. You can search what HubCAPP projects by some of the High Impact Changes to find out what initiatives local areas are undertaking to achieve this.

Joint E-bulletins

We will also be launching a joint e-newsletter in conjunction with the Alcohol Learning Centre, more information on this soon.