Services for the identification and treatment of hazardous drinking, harmful drinking and alcohol dependence in children, young people and adults
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This guide for commissioners provides support for the local implementation of NICE guidance through commissioning and is a resource to help commissioners, clinicians and managers to commission evidence based and quality services across England. This guide also aims to support joint commissioning and partnership working between NHS and partner organisations.
- Section 1 is an executive summary of the commissioning guide
- Section 2 makes the case for commissioning alcohol services
- Section 3 specifies service requirements
- Section 4 makes suggestions for contract specification
- Section 5 helps you determine local service levels
- Section 6 explains more about the cost impact of service redesign
- Section 7 is a glossary of terms used in this guide
This commissioning guide should be read together with the following NICE guidance and quality standard:
- NICE quality standard. Alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use
- NICE clinical guideline 115. Alcohol-use disorders: diagnosis, assessment and management of harmful drinking and alcohol dependence
- NICE clinical guideline 100. Alcohol-use disorders: diagnosis and clinical management of alcohol-related physical complications
- NICE public health guidance 24. Alcohol-use disorders: preventing the development of hazardous and harmful drinking
NICE guidance provides evidence based recommendations about clinically effective and cost-effective treatments and interventions to improve health outcomes for individuals and local populations. Making commissioning decisions based on the best available evidence such as NICE guidance and information accredited by NHS Evidence can help commissioners ensure that they are using their resources effectively.
Commissioners should refer to NICE quality standards when commissioning services and should include quality statements and measures within the service specification element of the standard contract. Managing performance against the NICE quality standards could help improve standards of care and outcomes for patients.
This commissioning guide highlights any recommendations supporting cases for disinvestment or decommissioning by identifying treatments and interventions that do not add value, enabling commissioners to release resources or generate savings where appropriate.
Implementation of the guidance noted above is the responsibility of local commissioners and/or providers. Commissioners and providers are reminded that it is their responsibility to implement this guidance, in their local context, in light of their duties to avoid unlawful discrimination and to have regard to promoting equality of opportunity. Nothing in the guidance should be interpreted in a way which would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.
We are keen to improve the commissioning guides in order to better meet the needs of commissioners. Please send us your ideas for future topic-specific guides or other comments.
Read the NICE disclaimer for information on the use and accuracy of content on the NICE website.
A topic-specific advisory group was established to review and advise on the content of the commissioning guide, details of membership can be found in section 8 of the guide.
Date of publication: August 2011
This page was last updated: 02 March 2012
