National Alcohol Awareness Week

A new community-based Brief Intervention Therapy service is being rolled out across Bournemouth and Poole during the coming months to support those most at risk of harm from drinking, announced Dr Adrian Dawson, Director of Public Health for Bournemouth and Poole at the start of national alcohol awareness week.

The service – the result of additional funding from Bournemouth and Poole Teaching Primary Care Trust, Bournemouth Borough Council and Borough of Poole Council - will offer support and therapy over a brief period, designed to help individuals adjust their drinking patterns to an appropriate level. It is anticipated that local Accident and Emergency departments, the Police and GPs will all refer people in to the service.

The announcement of the new service comes at the start of National Alcohol Awareness Week - Know Your Limits – when the Department of Health will launch a national media and advertising campaign to raise awareness of alcohol units and the health risks of regularly exceeding Government ‘lower-risk’ drinking levels. Locally, people will see leaflets and posters appearing in GP surgeries and hospital Accident and Emergency Departments.

Dr Adrian Dawson, Director of Public Health for the Primary Care Trust and both Borough Authorities, said:

“Many people simply do not realise when a drink after work or a few drinks with friends have actually meant that they are exceeding what we recognise as a lower risk amount to drink. As with the rest of England we have seen the number of alcohol-related hospital admissions rise in Bournemouth and Poole and we are launching this service to help more people moderate the amount they drink.

“There is a wide range of problems that relate in some way to inappropriate uses of alcohol, including serious illness as a result of continuous harmful drinking, to the other end of the spectrum where people have emerging patterns of drinking that can lead to injury or anti-social behaviour. We are working with all of our local partners to help those already drinking to moderate their drinking where necessary and to make sure that everyone knows about lower risk levels of drinking.”

The launch of the service comes in response to a number of issues previously raised about alcohol-related treatment and harm reduction in Bournemouth and Poole and follows an independent survey by Alcohol Concern that was commissioned by the Primary Care Trust in January 2008.

The survey found that with the introduction of the new service there is a good level and range of services locally and future work programmes will now focus on linking these services and improving the way local patients and clinicians can access them, through the creation of a ‘single point of entry’ to alcohol services in Bournemouth and Poole.

Karen Wood, DAT Commissioning & Contracts Officer at Bournemouth Borough Council, said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with the PCT and the Borough of Poole on this worthwhile project. There has been a gap in the service to help people with alcohol related problems and I am especially pleased that this service will now meet this need.”

Jan Thurgood, Chairman of Poole Drug and Alcohol Team, said: “These initiatives will assist in our efforts to make sure that alcohol problems are tackled as early as possible and that patients can access the most appropriate service for their needs.”