Pilot Project Launches at the Emergency Unit to Support Patients at Risk of Alcohol-Related Harm

A collaborative pilot involving health and third-sector organisations has launched in the Emergency Unit (A&E) at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) to reduce the harm from alcohol in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Colleagues within the Emergency Unit at UHW, from Cardiff and Vale Drug and Alcohol Service (CAVDAS) and the Community Addictions Unit (CAU) have introduced the Alcohol Screening Project.

This project screens all patients who present to the Emergency Unit to understand their level of alcohol risk, with the aim to identify and support those at risk of alcohol related harm, by providing brief interventions and referring them to appropriate support services where needed.

Alcohol dependence is most prevalent in patients attending emergency units, with around a quarter of all A&E departments’ caseloads relating to alcohol. Evidence states that screening and offering brief interventions can reduce weekly drinking habits by 12% on average.

Inspired by successes in neighbouring Health Boards, which saw a significant reduction in admissions and saved bed days, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has introduced this pilot programme to the Emergency Unit in an effort to routinely identify patients who may have hazardous, harmful or dependent alcohol use and reduce the risk of alcohol-related conditions such as brain damage and liver disease.

Claire Beynon, Executive Director of Public Health for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said: “Alcohol is a growing public health concern within Cardiff and Vale. We are an increasing number of deaths related to alcohol locally. Alcohol is a risk factor in more than 200 diseases, including cancer, stroke and depression. By identifying people at risk of significant harm earlier, we are able to offer people support they need.”

Matt Silva, Project Lead for the Alcohol Screening Project, commented: “The Emergency Unit is one of the main routes that patients are admitted to, or enter hospital services, but it is not always able to provide specialised or ongoing support, particularly in instances of drug or alcohol addiction. This pilot enables us to support the Emergency Unit at UHW to normalise the conversation around alcohol, identify patients at risk sooner and offer brief intervention and referrals to appropriate support for those who need it.

“In the first few weeks of this pilot, we have seen positive results. Engagement amongst patients has been good, the collaboration between colleagues in the department has enabled patients to be directed to the most appropriate services for their needs. A significant number of onward referrals to CAVDAS have been made, demonstrating the benefits of this project to enable those who may have not routinely been identified in the past to access the support they need.”

Having launched at the start of November, the pilot will run until March 2025. In this time, this innovative project will see alcohol screening take place at UHW; fostering collaboration between healthcare providers with the shared objective of reducing harm from alcohol across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.