Alcohol related admissions to West Middlesex University Hospital reported a significant decline thanks to the work of the new Alcohol Care Team (ACT), who have surpassed all initial targets, to bring down alcohol-related hospital admissions in Hounslow and reduce the number of people being readmitted within 30 days, since its formation in February 2022.
The ACT was formed in response to reported annual alcohol-related hospital admissions in Hounslow increasing from 1,353 in 2010/11 to 2,152 in 2019/20 – a rise of approximately 60% over ten years.
Over the past two years, the collaborative work between the BBP partners has made real strides in reducing alcohol-related alcohol admissions in Hounslow, down to 2,029 (against a target of fewer than 2,672) after its first year of operations. In the second year of operations, admissions were 2,159, 19% lower than the target.
Readmissions within 30 days of a first emergency hospital visit related to alcohol were down to 319 over the same period – less than half of the target of fewer than 732.
The ACT is a multi-disciplinary team, comprising two nurses, two recovery workers, one peer support worker, overseen by an addiction psychiatrist, that provides specialist alcohol treatment in an acute hospital setting.
The team work to improve health outcomes by offering alcohol screening and brief interventions within West Middlesex University Hospital, part of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Within the hospital setting, upskilling staff especially those working in the Emergency Department has played a vital role in supporting those to screen and identify alcohol issues in patients. The team provide optimal clinical care for patients struggling with alcohol dependency whilst in hospital, and develop appropriate care plans to support following discharge.
Additionally, ACT has enabled clear patient pathways from hospital into the Alcohol Recovery Community (ARC), which is a free and confidential recovery programme for people who in Hounslow who have problems with alcohol or other drugs.
ACT was launched as a two-year Hounslow Borough Based Partnership (BBP) project (2022-2024) between the London Borough of Hounslow, West London NHS Trust, Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare, North West London ICB and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Foundation NHS Trust as part of their shared commitment to ensure communities live healthy, happy and connected lives.
One Hounslow resident who was referred to ARC after a successful ACT intervention said:
“This programme works. And it has changed my life. I honestly didn’t believe I would be here graduating, sober, making positive changes in my life. I had resigned myself to being a waste of space addict after countless relapses.
“I’ve been in intensive care, clinically dead and seen the inside of more ambulances, either for me or my fiancé, than I can count. But I’m still alive and for the first time in a very long time I feel healthy and have some hope back.”
“This partnership project has been a true collaborative effort from the start, with cross-organisational working between NHS Trusts and the Local Authority. From designing the new service model, business case, and receiving funding for the two-year project from the Hounslow Borough Based Partnership, the Alcohol Care Team has been able to make a positive difference to the lives of patients living with alcohol dependency and other alcohol related issues.
“Day-to-day there is also strong partnership working across different teams, plus ACT have trained the wider hospital workforce to develop their skills when supporting patients with alcohol related issues, which has helped to deliver better care to patients and led to an improved working experience for staff.”
Table 1 illustrates ACT’s key outcomes over year one and two
|
Measure Number |
Alcohol Care Team Performance Measures |
Annual Target |
Year 1 Performance |
Year 2 Performance |
|
1 |
The number of alcohol-related hospital admissions
|
≤ 2672
|
2058 (-23%) |
2159 (-19%) |
|
2 |
Number of those who were recorded as an alcohol specific admission, having an alcohol specific readmission within 30 days.
|
≤ 732
|
319 (-56%) |
330 (-55%) |
|
3 |
Number of alcohol related ED Presentations
|
≤ 4164
|
3414 (-18%) |
3850 (-8%) |
|
4 |
Number of audit C presentations |
1223
|
1743 |
3594 |
|
5 |
Number of Audit C Screenings for Unique Patients
|
864 |
1211 |
2404 |
|
6 |
The number of Unique Patients in quarter who received Extended Brief Interventions |
NA |
264
|
381
|
|
7 |
The number of patients commencing structured treatment with ARC (a comprehensive assessment must be completed).*
|
77 |
104 |
107 |
|
8 |
The % of patients (who have commenced structured treatment with ARC) who are retained in ‘effective treatment’ (12 weeks or more). **
|
80% |
96% average across the year |
96.8% average across qu1-3 |