Specialist team help to tackle substance misuse in York
- 08 Jan
Hundreds of people in York and North Yorkshire were expected to sign up to Dry January as the holiday season has drawn to a close.
At York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust a specialist team including nurses help patients who have serious problems with alcohol and substance misuse, York Press reports.
The Alcohol Concern campaign encourages people to refrain from drinking alcohol and have an enjoyable break for a month after the excesses of the holiday season.
However, for some people, drinking and substance misuse has become a more serious problem. Figures from Alcohol Concern show that 20% of people in York are drinking at a level which could potentially damage their health. Last year, there were 37,112 alcohol-related hospital admissions and attendances.
Louisa Morley and Frank Bowers, clinical nurse specialists, are based at York Hospital and deliver the Substance Misuse Liaison Service for the trust.
Their specialist knowledge and experience of taking care of the hospital patients with alcohol and or drug related problems ensures that these patients will get the support and specialist management they need.
Louisa Morley stated, "Many people with drug and alcohol problems find being in hospital very difficult. Some people end up in hospital as a result of their substance misuse but we also help patients who may have delayed having medical treatment for years because they don't want to acknowledge their addiction.
"Because of our nurse training we can assess and advise on the nursing and medical management of patients drug or alcohol use in the hospital.
"Patients can be surprised to find that we can give them medication to help them cope in hospital and this often leads to patients working with us to help address their problems. It means we can provide information and onward referral and liaison with community services for future care."
In 2012/13, there were 582 referrals made to the service, and out of these, 279 referrals were made to community services for ongoing support and treatment after discharge.
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Image source: http://www.freeimages.com/assets/182956/1829557024/sign-no-alcohol-1231362-m.jpg
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