Gastroenterology

The Alcohol Care Team provides care planning, medication and a support network together with wider alcohol services to help patients who come to our hospitals with their alcohol recovery

The team aim to help with:

• Support alcohol detox
• Recovery
• Future planning
• Decision making

The Alcohol Care Team cover both South Tyneside District Hospital and Sunderland Royal Hospital and are available between 8am - 8pm Monday to Friday amd 8am - 2pm Saturday and Sunday.  

• we review/ support patients in ED, EAU and any department throughout the hospital who attend with alcohol dependence or have an alcohol related admission
• we aim to aid reduction of alcohol related hospital admission by providing assessment/intervention on attendance and support for patients working closely with their community key workers , attending MDT's and professional sharing meetings as well as risk management and education for patients 
• we aim to reduce length of stay by improving management of withdrawal when admitted, can help facilitate discharge from ED departments to prevent unnecessary admissions
• we provide appropriate, timely, meaningful education and support for those attending with alcohol-related problems including brief intervention, alcohol screening and assessment 
• ACT can support with withdrawal management , Pharmacological intervention, recovery planning and decision making  as well as providing psychosocial interventions to support dependent drinkers to sustain abstinence once discharged from hospital
• Identification of alcohol dependence/binge drinking or high risk drinking  with supported referrals to Community Services , discharge planning and pathways to treatment with community services and a community detox pathway 
• we facilitate integrated alcohol care between secondary, primary and community care providers
• Participating in MDT planning, risk management and safeguarding  strategy meetings to improve patient outcomes 
• we have ACT  Recovery Navigators - who provide collaborative recovery planning and case management to substance misusers across all stages of their recovery, from assessment to sustained recovery. 
• we work with a variety of other healthcare professionals within the hospital and have a network of support services who we refer to in the community 
• we are busy setting up telephone clinic's for patients for long term and short term follow up 

Who we are:

Lead ACT alcohol specialist nurse: Roisin Burdis Email:  roisin.burdis@nhs.net

Band 6 Alcohol Specialist nurses : Nicola Wood, Karen Temple, Stephanie Scott, Karly Taylor

Band 4 ACT Practitioner: Carly Hall and Jayne Heslop

ACT recovery Navigators: 2x full time staff  

How to contact us:

Admin:  stsft.act@nhs.net

Bleep contacts:

South Tyneside: 50164

Sunderland Royal Hospital: 53560

Office numbers:

South Tyneside: 4074

Sunderland Royal Hospital: 51560 - answer machine option 

Referrals need to be made on V6. If urgent please bleep the team via the site bleeps over.

Mission Statement

The Alcohol Care Team (ACT) helps patients to start their alcohol recovery.  We aim to support alcohol detox needs, recovery, future planning and decision making- tailored to each person’s needs and assessments. 

We can provide psychosocial help, discharge planning and help to reduce the need to come back into hospital with health problem due to alcohol. 

We provide care planning, medication, support network with wider alcohol services to help your recovery.

We will review and change our service to make sure that we meet the needs of our patients. 

We are non-judgemental, welcoming and supportive.

Liver Specialist Nurses

Based primarily at Sunderland Royal Hospital, the Liver Specialist Nurses support patients and their families who have been diagnosed with Cirrhosis of the liver (alcohol related/non- alcohol related) as well as patients with acute liver problems.

The team aim to help with:

• management of patients with chronic liver disease and/or acute liver problems (e.g. cirrhosis, alcohol hepatitis) 
• hold nurse led day case twice weekly to facilitate elective paracentesis and blood/weight monitoring to aid diuretic titration, this helps to prevent avoidable admissions and aids early inpatient discharges
• are trained in Fibroscanning in order to help measure the extent of liver damage, if any
• hold twice weekly clinics in order to facilitate long term and short term follow ups
• work closely with the radiology department for cancer surveillance or for patients requiring ultrasound guided paracentesis
• are qualified nurse prescribers which aids faster access to treatment
• monitor known patients or any new referrals during inpatient visits
• liaise with primary care services for a holistic patient approach whilst in the community
• link closely with Freeman Road Hospital to support patients through the process of liver transplantation (pre and post operation)
• refer to palliative care for community or hospice support for both end stage patients and/or their families
• work alongside the Alcohol Care Team to offer alcohol cessation/safe reduction plans

Referrals to the Liver Specialist Nurses can be made via orders on V6: Liver Specialist Nurse Refe

Who we are:

Deb Smith - Lead Liver Specialist Nurse
Email: deborah.smith109@nhs.net

Bleep: 52464

Ext: 40142

Emma Dalton - Liver Specialist Nurse
Email: emma.dalton5@nhs.net

Bleep: 52153

Ext: 40142

Alcohol Care Team and Liver Specialist Nurse Referrals    

Update referrals for both ACT and the Liver Specialist Nurses are now live in Meditech. Referrals to ACT should be made via the referral; Alcohol Care Team (ACT) refer, accessed via orders

The following group of patients should first be reviewed by the Liver Specialist Nurse or Gastroenterologist / Medical Team before ACT review prior to discharge:

Presentation with decompensation – new or worsening ascites

• Jaundice
• Confusion
• Suspicion of GI bleeding
• Seizures
• Deranged bloods – renal function

Referrals to the Liver Specialist Nurse should be made via the referral; Hepatology Liver Referral (Liver Nurse Specialist Referral), accessed via orders.