The report found that 31% of PCTs said no practice in their area offered ‘brief advice’ – a form of short, structured advisory interview shown to be effective in reducing alcohol abuse.
Providing this advice is part of the work that will be incentivised in the tackling alcohol misuse directed enhanced service, set to be rolled out in England from 2009/10.
The report also found that 42% of PCTs did not have an alcohol strategy, and that spending on alcohol misuse services across England does not correlate with prevalence.
nick.bostock@haymarket.com
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PCTs failing to train nurses and GPs to tackle alcohol abuse
Nearly a third of PCTs have no practices with nurses or GPs trained to offer basic advice for patients who are abusing alcohol, a National Audit Office (NAO) report shows.
