Substance Misuse

Drugs and Alcohol Needs Assessment

PHAST was commissioned by a PCT in the South-east of England to undertake a comprehensive drugs and alcohol needs assessment of the whole population that will facilitate the PCT in taking decisions about delivery of service. The project considered the findings of the EDAAT needs assessment as well as the PCT's Community Services drugs and alcohol needs assessment and other relevant findings on needs that were discovered during the course of the work. It also included a discrete section detailing the findings of a focused investigation into binge drinking in the local area.

Needs and feasibility assessment of an alcohol service

PHAST provided support and quality assurance for a project undertaken by Ranzetta Consulting (public health consultancy specialists for alcohol). The project was commissioning by a NHS Foundation Trust to provide a needs and feasibility assessment of a acute alcohol service based near the Emergency Department at one of their hospitals. The objectives were to: review evidence on best practice; ascertain through audit and stakeholder interview the demand for alcohol services associated with the ED; and recommended models of intervention.

Components of Alcohol Health Needs Assessment

Alcohol abuse and the needs to reduce binge drinking are currently national priorities. In order for PCTs to respond adequately, there is a needs to understand the core elements, including mapping need, examining demand, mapping service provision and then assessing the gaps between these factors. In response to this, a London PCT commissioned component parts of an alcohol health needs assessment which will support the PCT's business decisions on future service planning, design, provision and implementation. The PCT requested pieces of work that comprised parts of an alcohol health needs assessment to assist them in reviewing their current model of delivery and enable them to make informed strategic and operational decisions about how and where services are delivered in the future.