Citation

Musgrave C, Timms A, Georgiou G, Glover S, Sque M, Black D, Perry I. Br. J. Nurs. 2018; 27(15): 881-885.

Affiliation

Consultant Physician, Gastroenterology, New Cross Hospital and Cannock Hospital, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Mark Allen Publishing)

DOI

10.12968/bjon.2018.27.15.881

PMID

30089057

Abstract

The City of Wolverhampton has much higher rates of accident and emergency (emergency department) attendance and hospital admission for alcohol-related harm than in neighbouring health authorities and double the national death rate from alcohol-related liver disease. Recovery Near You, the local addiction service, in partnership with The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, initiated a nurse-led drug and alcohol liaison team to address these health issues. This resulted in a tenfold increase in screening and engagement with patients in the acute hospital, the creation of guidelines, protocols and training available for staff in the Trust and an accessible service that has impacted positively on patient experience. This article describes the development of the team, outlining the challenges, successes and outcomes.

Language: en

Keywords

Acute care; Alcohol; Harm reduction; Liaison; Motivational interviewing; Nurse-led care; Specialist nurse