As we are halfway through Alcohol Awareness Week, we are putting a spotlight on our trust’s alcohol care team.
Three of these patients were directly referred from The James Cook University Hospital to a six-month rehabilitation facility.
The alcohol care team provides specialist support and interventions for alcohol dependent patients and those presenting with acute intoxication or other drug and alcohol-related complications.
They also carry out early intervention and brief advice to those who are consuming alcohol above the recommended guidelines of 14 units per week regarding healthy drinking habits.
The service, which consists of five nurses and three recovery navigators, also provides psychosocial intervention and liaises with community services, to deliver an integrated approach – providing patients with care that improves the likelihood of remaining alcohol free.
Alcohol care team manager Jessica Beck said: “It’s not just about treating the dependence on alcohol but also trying to support with the trauma or events in people’s lives that have led to harmful drinking.
Our job is to ensure patient safety whilst in hospital, support patients, family and loved ones of patients in dependency, as it does not just affect the patient but also has a rippled effect with those close to them.”
The team supports patients in our emergency department, children and young people’s department, inpatients, maternity and pre-assessment, as well as telephone assessments for those patients who attended James Cook out of ACT’s working hours.
When a patient is referred to the ACT, one of the specialist nurses or recovery navigators will carry out an assessment to identify the required needs of the patient.
Jessica added: “ACT works closely with community services and refers patients to the most suitable service so they can continue to access support when they leave hospital.
“We support staff with the care of inpatients and provide wrap around care, with referrals to community services and follow up telephone calls after discharge, to ensure patients get the long term help they need when they leave.
“By having a specific alcohol care team within the hospital, it allows specialist nurses and navigators to spend the time required for longer interactions with patients, which takes pressures off the ward nurses, whilst engaging with therapeutic relations in the benefit of the patients and give them the targeted help they need.”