National award for new specialist hospital team
A new health team which supports people in hospital who are affected by alcohol has had its work recognised in a national awards scheme.
The Alcohol Care Team (ACT) was created last June by South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and celebrated it’s first anniversary by being highly commended in the annual Parliamentary Awards.
Backed by more than £250,000 of national funding, the ACT team provides help for patients affected by alcohol and is part of the Trust’s work to help tackle health inequalities.
Based at South Tyneside District Hospital and Sunderland Royal Hospital, the team identifies patients who come into the emergency departments or being cared for on wards who will benefit from help. The specialist nurses and doctors have already supported more than 2,200 patients, with 85% of those it has worked with referred for further help.
The team also works closely with the local councils, GPs and other partners to make sure that patients can continue to get support when they leave hospital.
The team had already won a regional NHS Parliamentary Award in the Excellence in Healthcare category before being commended at the national awards.
They were nominated by Houghton and Sunderland South MP Bridget Phillipson and Jarrow MP Kate Osborne.
Roisin Burdis, who leads the team, said: “We're very proud of the team and it was amazing to attend the ceremony. We are all passionate about tackling harm from alcohol in our own patients and we’re non-judgemental, welcoming and supportive. As we’re still a relatively new service and we’re continually reviewing and adapting to meet the needs of those we care for and the services we work alongside.”
Ryan Swiers, the Trust’s consultant in public health, said: “We are delighted the hard work of the ACT team has been recognised.
“We’ re really proud of what we have achieved sofa rand we will be building on that as part of our commitment to dealing with alcohol harm."
Anyone who would like support can call Sunderland Wear Recovery on 0800 234 6798 or through https:// changegrowlive.org/sunderland/contact-us