Alcoholics needing treatment doubles

By [corson]

The number of alcoholics going into treatment has almost doubled in the last year, according to Lincolnshire Drug and Alcohol Service.

In the first nine months of the 2008/09 financial year, the service referred 616 problem drinkers into treatment.

The treatment is provided by specialist nurses working for the Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust.

And Scott Watkinson, from Lincolnshire Drug and Alcohol Services, says they expect to refer a total of 900 drinkers by April.

This compares to just 404 for the whole of 2007/08.

Mr Watkinson said this is the result of the county's new alcohol services which launched in August.

Previously, access to treatment was only available via GP referral.

But since the summer any concerned drinker can be screened at the open access centre based at the Addaction building in Newland, Lincoln, and referred for treatment.

An Internet tool to encourage safe drinking – www.lincs2alcohol.co.uk – has been launched and alcohol liaison nurses now work in custody suites and at Lincoln County Hospital referring dangerous drinkers to the service.

"We cannot say that people are drinking more," said Mr Watkinson.

"It's more a case that through the campaign people can and know how to refer themselves to an alcohol service."

Tony McGinty, assistant director of public health at NHS Lincolnshire said he is hopeful that a further £500,000 will be invested in county alcohol services in 2009/10.

This will bring the budget to £2m, up from £1.5m in 2008/09.

"I'm very pleased with the take-up which has exceeded what we hoped to achieve," said Mr McGinty.

"We have to be careful now that waiting times don't get longer for treatment."

For more on the number of alcoholics being treated in the county, see Saturday's Echo.