Chase Farm Hospital’s new service for heavy drinkers praised

David Burrowes, MP for Enfield Southgate, has praised Chase Farm’s accident and emergency department after speaking with staff at the hospital who are tackling alcohol abuse.

So far the hospital has screened 4,000 patients to assess how much alcohol they are drinking; in cases where there is a risk of addiction, patients are referred for specialist help. This is one of the first proactive approaches to tackling alcohol abuse seen in an accident and emergency hospital.

This new initiative is funded by Enfield Council’s Drug and Alcohol Team and is managed by Karen Rocha, the senior alcohol nurse at the hospital. Mr Burrowes was very impressed by the dedication of the medical staff at Chase Farm Hospital.

The Department of Health estimates that there are 13,371 higher risk drinkers in Enfield, which is defined as a man who drinks more than eight units of alcohol a day or a woman who drinks more than six units.

New campaign

Mr Burrowes is planning a new campaign to tackle the problem of super-strength ciders and lagers. Studies have shown that street drinking becomes more common when strong alcohol is readily available.

He told the Advertiser: “I have been impressed by the success of the Reducing the Strength campaign in Ipswich, which reduced antisocial behaviour caused in particular by street drinking. It involved explaining to retailers the harms caused by high-strength beer and cider, as well as the benefits of reduced antisocial behaviour resulting from ending sales, in an attempt to stop them stocking the products.”

Both medical professionals and the government are taking the problem of alcohol abuse more seriously and providing initiatives to help to improve the situation.