Christos Kouimtsidis and Jane Pullin examine a specialist nurse role to enhance the quality of treatment for dependent drinkers

This article reports on the first year of an alcohol specialist liaison nurse working in a general hospital. The specialist nurse was able to see all but four of the 182 referrals sent, the majority of which came from medical and other wards rather than the emergency department. The data presented here indicate that the number of patients referred to the service more than once during its first eight months was much lower compared to earlier ‘revolving door’ presentations. Another achievement was the development of a joint detoxification policy by acute hospital and specialist alcohol services, enabling early discharge from hospital and the continuation of detoxification in the community.