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HIGH levels of alcohol misuse in Camden have prompted Camden Primary Care Trust (PCT), Camden Council and the ambulance service to pilot a dedicated ‘booze bus' to deal with alcohol related emergency calls. London Ambulance Service (LAS) staff will work on an ‘alternative response vehicle' to cover areas which have the most alcohol related call outs in the borough. The aim is relieve the pressure on the ambulance service and local accident and emergency departments as well as reducing alcohol related harm. Camden Community Safety Partnership, made up of Camden Council, the police, Camden PCT and other agencies, are piloting the initiative following a previous successful trial by London Ambulance Service in central London(1). Most alcohol related emergency call outs in Camden take place at weekends and in areas with large numbers of clubs and bars such as Camden Town, Holborn and Covent Garden. The London Ambulance Service vehicle will have one paramedic and two emergency medical technicians. They will assess and treat patients on the scene and only take them to accident and emergency departments if necessary. The ambulance will operate in Camden Town on Friday and Saturday nights between 9pm and 3am - the busiest times for the ambulance service in Camden(2). It is planned the service will be up and running within the next couple of months, in time for the Christmas period when cases of alcohol related harm rise. Cllr James King, Camden Council's Executive Member for Community Safety, said: "Most Camden residents enjoy alcohol responsibly but there is a minority who harm themselves and others by abusing alcohol. This innovative project aims to reduce the harm caused by alcohol and help those who have alcohol misuse problems to seek treatment. This will make nights out in Camden even more enjoyable for all." Paul Fox, Assistant Director of Public Health at Camden PCT, said: "We are keen to prevent alcohol misuse from happening in the first place as well as reducing the harm associated with it. "Therefore the service will not only treat those with minor injuries or alcohol related illness, it will also offer guidance on how to prevent the situation reoccurring. To this end LAS staff will be specially trained to offer advice based interventions that have been shown to be effective in helping people reduce their alcohol consumption. Where necessary they will also direct individuals to appropriate primary care or specialist alcohol treatment services." Kevin Brown, Ambulance Operations Manager at LAS, said: "People with minor injuries or illness caused by too much alcohol do not always need to go to hospital. "The booze bus will help us to assess and treat these patients without necessarily having to clog up the local A&E department. More importantly, this dedicated service will free up other ambulances in the borough so they are available for patients who have a life-threatening emergency and really need our help." According to London Ambulance Service, in 2007/08 nearly 3,600 ambulance call outs in Camden were alcohol related, 16 per cent higher than the previous year. Camden ranks second compared to other London Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), making up just under 6 per cent of the London Ambulance Service's alcohol related calls. Camden also has the highest rate of alcohol specific hospital admissions for men and second highest for women in London. Camden drinking facts (2):
* There are 45,000 hazardous/harmful drinkers, representing 22.83 per cent of the Camden population
* There are 11,000 dependent drinkers, comprising 5.83 per cent of GP registered patients aged 15-74
* There are 30,000 binge drinkers, who may also be hazardous/harmful or dependent drinkers. The pilot project will initially last six months and will then be reviewed. If successful it could become a permanent service. http://www.camden.gov.uk/ |
