Alcohol Change UK project

During 2020 and 2021 the Portsmouth and Isle of Wight Safeguarding Adults Boards have been working with Alcohol Change UK, Professor Michael Preston-Shoot and a network of local authorities across England and Wales to develop a national briefing on Safeguarding Vulnerable Dependent Drinkers.  The aim of the document is to enable professionals to use legal frameworks to manage and protect chronic dependent drinkers.

Download the document here.

Webinars

Recording of Dr Raja Mukherjee’s webinar on Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and Mental Capacity

Recording of Prof. Michael Preston-Shoot’s webinar on Lessons from Safeguarding Adult Reviews

Recording of Dr Stefania Bonaccorso’s webinar on Alcohol, Neurobiology and Mental Capacity

Recording of Prof. Ken Wilson’s webinar on Alcohol-related Brain Damage

The Glasgow Model by Grant Brand

The Use of Pabrinex Dr Julia Lewis

Speech and Language Therapy for Cognitively Impaired Drinkers by Leigh Andrews

Living with Korsakoff’s Psychosis by Sharon and Mark Holmes

Videos from the Issues in the Support and Management of Alcohol Related Brain Damage Conference, including:

  • What is ARBD – Ken Wilson
  • Cognitive Impairment – Mike Ward
  • Safeguarding Perspective – Michael Preston-Shoot
  • Warning signs, recognition and diagnosis – Grant Brand
  • Management and progress through recover – Dr Julia Lewis
  • Executive problems and memory issues – Dr Kaanthan Jawahar
  • Alcohol and the Brain – Prof David Nutt
  • Capacity assessment & the dysexecutive syndrome – Prof Ken Wilson
  • Is the law any good? – Alex Ruck-Keene KC (Hon)

Slides from the training course

Six training courses were held focussing on how to make most effective use of the three main legal powers which can protect vulnerable dependent drinkers: the Care Act, the Mental Capacity Act and the Mental Health Act.

The learning objectives were:

  • Identify chronic dependent drinkers who require the protection and support of key legal powers
  • Understand how the Care Act applies to this group
  • Understand how the Mental Capacity Act applies
  • Understand how the Mental Health Act applies
  • Understand what interventions flow from action under these powers
  • Understand what helps makes these powers work to their best effect.

Download the slides from the course here.

Blue Light Manual

Alcohol Change UK also publishes the Blue Light Manual. This is a guide for professionals working with change resistant drinkers. It challenges the belief that only drinkers who show clear motivation to change can be helped, and sets out positive strategies that can be used with this client group.

It contains:

  • Tools for understanding why individuals may not engage
  • Risk assessment tools which are appropriate for drinkers
  • Harm reduction techniques workers can use
  • Advice on crucial nutritional approaches which can reduce alcohol-related harm
  • Questions to help non-clinicians identify where individuals may be at risk of serious health problems
  • Management frameworks
  • Guidance on legal frameworks

Download the Blue Light Manual here.