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Over half a million ABIs delivered since 2008.

Figures published yesterday show that since 2008, over 569,000 Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABIs) have been delivered to help people in Scotland cut down on their drinking, potentially reducing the need for more costly alcohol related treatments later on.

In 2014/15, the Scottish Government’s HEAT standard was exceeded by almost two thirds. 99,252 ABIs were delivered across three priority settings of primary care, A&E and antenatal, as well as wider settings such as mental health and criminal justice. This sustained delivery supports the overall aim of the ABI programme, to embed ABIs into the routine practice of NHS Scotland.

ABIs are part of the Scottish Government’s Alcohol Framework, which has been in place since 2009. In a recent Holyrood debate, Public Health Minister Maureen Watt paid tribute to the progress made in tackling alcohol misuse in Scotland – but recognised that sustained action is needed to keep moving in the right direction.

For 2015/16, the Scottish Government is doubling the capacity to deliver Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABIs) in wider settings, from 10 per cent to a 20 per cent quota. This provides an opportunity to increase coverage of harder to reach groups, supporting a focus on communities where deprivation is greatest.

Public Health Minister Maureen Watt said:

“I welcome the progress and sustained delivery of the national ABI programme across Scotland to date, and congratulate local partners on this achievement.

“As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure and since April 2008 we have delivered over half a million interventions to help people cut down on their drinking, potentially reducing the requirement for more costly alcohol related treatments later on.”

“We have always been clear that we need to give people whatever support they need to cut down on their drinking. We have made a record investment of £278 million tackling problem alcohol use since 2008.”

“We support the expansion of the ABI evidence base and encourage appropriate planning and delivery of ABIs in wider settings, increasing coverage of harder to reach groups, focusing on communities where deprivation is greatest and tackling health inequalities.”

Notes To Editors

The full publication can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Drugs-and-Alcohol-Misuse/

ABIs are consultations which aim to help individuals cut down their drinking to within sensible guidelines. This can reduce the need for more costly treatment in the future. A HEAT target was introduced in 2008/09 setting minimum numbers of ABIs to be delivered by each NHS Board. This evolved into a HEAT standard in 2012/13.

For 2015/16 ABI delivery has been formally linked to the NHSScotland Local Delivery Plan (LDP) as a LDP standard.

In 2014/15 there were 99,252 ABIs carried out in Scotland, 62 per cent more than the 61,081 ABIs set out in the HEAT standard for 2014/15.

Over all seven years 569,792 ABIs have been delivered (45 per cent more than the target/standard).