Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Accepted
Low public awareness and poor NHS identification hinder access to effective alcohol treatment.
Conclusion
When we asked Ms Wiseman what was preventing people from accessing treatment, she explained that there was a big issue with people being able to accept that they have a problem in the first place. We heard that drinking alcohol in our communities is widespread and public awareness of the associated harms very low. Ms Wiseman told us of NHS workers questioning patients about their alcohol use as part of wider healthcare assessments but failing to recognise high-risk drinking. She explained that they sometimes missed opportunities to refer patients presenting with a different condition for alcohol treatment services and suggested workforce development could help to raise awareness.35
Government Response Summary
The government agrees, aiming for Spring 2025, and is developing UK-wide clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment to address barriers, a joint action plan with NHS England for co-occurring mental health and substance misuse conditions, and supports local authorities in identifying engagement barriers.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2025 4.2 Increasing the numbers of dependent alcohol and drug users in treatment is a key aim of the additional drug strategy investment. 4.3 The department is providing a range of support to all local authorities for identifying and addressing barriers to engagement with treatment, including interpretation of local data, advice on specific treatment pathways, troubleshooting and sharing of best practice. Further targeted support is also provided to high priority areas for service improvement. 4.4 The department, in partnership with the devolved administrations, is developing the first UK-wide clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment, which include guidance for commissioners and services on addressing barriers to treatment. The guidelines will go out for public consultation in Summer 2023 and final guidelines will be published later in the year. 4.5 The department and NHS England are developing a joint action plan to address co-occurring mental health and drug/alcohol-related conditions. This programme of work will improve access to mental health services for people with drug and alcohol misuse conditions, as well as improve the links between mental health and substance misuse services. 4.6 The department already published the Commissioning Quality Standard for drug and alcohol treatment services in August 2022. This includes requirements for local authorities to engage with other local services, such as mental health providers, to provide coordinated packages of care that support recovery, including for people with co-occurring mental health conditions.