Services Database Alcohol Screening & Brief Intervention Advice (Wirral Area)

The aims of this service are:

• to support the reduction in the level of alcohol related harm within the Wirral Community;
• to signpost those clients that have been identified as being at risk from their alcohol use to the relevant specialist treatment service; and
• to increase awareness within the population of Wirral of the health risks associated with alcohol use.

 Any customer that, in the professional opinion of the Contractor/ trained staff member, would benefit from receiving advice/support around alcohol use will be targeted. The contractor / trained staff member must undertake the AUDIT with the customer.
If the score determines that the customer scores between 0 and 7, a short brief intervention must be given and consist of at least two of the following bullet points. This will be dependent upon the customer:
Explanation of daily benchmarks:

• What is a unit of alcohol
• Explanation of category of drinker
• Issue an Education Safer drinking information booklet and explains its contents

If the customer scores between 8 and 15 (this score captures potential and increasing risk drinkers), a more comprehensive brief intervention must be provided, consisting of:
Explanation of daily benchmarks:

• What is a unit of alcohol
• Explanation of category of drinker
• Explanation of the content of the Educational Safer Drinking Information booklet
• Issue an Education Safer drinking information leaflet and explains its content

If a customer scores above 16 (which moves towards either a higher risk or possible dependant drinkers category) then an appropriate referral should be made to the specialist service e.g. CWP Alcohol Service (where the customer consents to this). Those customers scoring above 16 (adjacent to higher risk or possible dependent drinking) should be encouraged to consent to follow up by the pharmacy at 8 weeks.

Training is MANDATORY to the delivery of screening and brief intervention. Every person delivering the service must attend annual training. A minimum of one person per service should be trained.
CWP Alcohol Service will provide the Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Training, which includes:

• basic alcohol awareness;
• information on the use of the assessment tool AUDIT;
• understanding the processes to refer to specialist services;
• skills to be competent to deliver brief interventions; and
• methods of monitoring targets and outcome.

Staff selected to provide this service must already have a minimum level of training, for example, a Medicines Counter Assistant qualification or NVQ Level 2 or above, to undertake the training.