New research focuses on care for alcohol-dependent patients

Southampton researchers are studying the care of people with alcohol dependence in hospitals.

Patients who are alcohol dependent often have complex needs. This can include support for withdrawal symptoms and help in accessing specialist support when they leave.

The £1.8 million ProACTIVE programme, led in Southampton and Hull, is evaluating the best use of NHS funds in this area.

Optimising alcohol care

Alcohol-related hospital admissions continue to rise in England. Around one in 10 patients admitted to acute hospitals may be alcohol dependent.

The NHS has invested £26 million to ‘optimise’ Alcohol Care Teams (ACTs). This is developing existing services and creating new teams in a quarter of hospitals in greatest need by 2024.

New evidence for these hospital-based ACTs is being backed by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). It has recently committed £1.8 million to fund ProACTIVE – Programme of Research for Alcohol Care Teams: Impact, Value and Effectiveness.

Research consortium

ProACTIVE will deliver a multi-disciplinary and mixed-methods study for the impact of ACTs.

It is jointly led by the University of Southampton’s Professor Julia Sinclair and Professor Thomas Phillips at the University of Hull.

The three-year programme brings together a consortium that includes the universities of Keele, Kent, King’s College London, Sheffield and Newcastle.

Professor Sinclair, of the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, says:

“This is a great opportunity to build research capacity and improve outcomes for patients who are poorly served in our current system.”

Professor Phillips adds: “Our consortium of experienced researchers drawn from institutions across England will identify the most effective service elements and will shape future delivery of care.”

How to take part

Central to the programme is the development of an ACT network to co-produce evidence and tools with patients, policy makers and commissioners.

The team is seeking to recruit research staff. These will include a Research Fellow (Southampton), Research Fellow/Trial Manager (Hull), research assistants, and a Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) Co-ordinator (Southampton).

For more information contact: Julia Sinclair Julia.Sinclair@soton.ac.uk