Memorandum by The Royal College of Surgeons
of England (AL 60)
1. The Royal College of Surgeons welcomes
the opportunity to contribute to the Health Select Committee's
inquiry into alcohol. We welcome the general approach to reduce
overall alcohol consumption and alcohol related-harm by focusing
on measures to promote responsible drinking and curb excessive
alcohol consumption. Surgeons see some of the most immediate and
serious effects of excessive alcohol consumption through emergency
trauma injury admissions resulting from violence, falls and road
accidents.
2. The College believes that patient contacts
with hospital services provide a unique opportunity to deliver
treatment for alcohol misuse. The effects of excessive alcohol
consumption are routinely seen by those involved in delivering
trauma services. Many trauma patients are in the 16-25 age
group and are usually not yet addicted to (dependent on) alcohol.
Therefore, at this early stage, treatment of their alcohol misuse
can prevent this misuse developing into a much harder to treat
alcohol problem. Since this group often have few other contacts
with the health service, contacts with hospital services, and
in particular the trauma services, need to be capitalised on.
3. The Royal College of Surgeons believes
that such treatment can, in many cases, be delivered by members
of the extended surgical team, usually during follow-up clinics
where, for example, stitches are removed. This is known to be
a cost-effective means of reducing excessive alcohol consumption
and further injury.[68]
4. The delivery of a hospital Trust alcohol
strategy should be a board level responsibility to ensure universal
access to high quality alcohol misuse treatment across all medical
specialities. Clinical Directors of surgical services have a key
role in the local implementation of programmes across surgery.
April 2009
68 Smith, A.J., Hodgson, R.J., Bridgeman, K., Shepherd,
J.P. (2003). A randomized controlled trial of a brief intervention
after alcohol-related facial injury. Addiction: 98(1) p 43-52. Back
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