• Thomas Phillips, Chao Huang, Emmert Roberts, and Colin Drummond.
• Institute for Clinical and Applied Health Research, Allam Medical Building, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull HU6 7RX, UK.
• Alcohol Alcohol. 2021 Jan 4; 56 (1): 28-33.

AimsWe assessed the relationship between specialist and non-specialist admissions for alcohol withdrawal since the introduction of the UK government Health and Social Care Act in 2012.MethodsUsing publicly available national data sets from 2009 to 2019, we compared the number of alcohol withdrawal admissions and estimated costs in specialist and non-specialist treatment settings.ResultsA significant negative correlation providing strong evidence of an association was observed between the fall in specialist and rise in non-specialist admissions. Significant cost reductions within specialist services were displaced to non-specialist settings.ConclusionsThe shift in demand from specialist to non-specialist alcohol admissions due to policy changes in England should be reversed by specialist workforce investment to improve outcomes. In the meantime, non-specialist services and staff must be resourced and equipped to meet the complex needs of these service users.© The Author(s) 2020. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press.

22 keywords...

hide…