A new report from Clean Slate Clinic, supported by Adfam and the University of Sussex, has found that nine in ten people drinking at clinically risky levels don't consider themselves heavy drinkers. The research is prompting urgent calls for a digitally enabled redesign of alcohol services, moving care out of hospitals and into people's everyday lives.

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Clean Slate Clinic's Clinical Director Dr David McLaughlan highlights the gap that needs closing: “We’ve seen virtual wards successfully reduce admissions in respiratory and cardiac care. Yet alcohol withdrawal, which has been estimated to cost society £27 billion a year, continues to be managed through inpatient stays. Digital pathways allow clinicians to monitor patients remotely during that high-risk window and intervene before they return to A&E.”

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Pia Clinton-Tarestad, Clean Slate's Co-founder and CEO, added: “I know from personal experience how supervised, remote-based detox programmes can help patients get safe, structured treatment earlier, without disconnecting from jobs, family and daily life. Our evidence shows that the Clean Slate Clinic model can help the NHS cut readmissions by almost half, while increasing sustained abstinence from around 30 per cent to 70 per cent.”

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Read the full article here

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