New guidance on admissions to adult mental health inpatient services

Admissions to Adult Mental Health Inpatient Services
Best Practice Statement / NHS QIS, March 2009

This Best Practice Statement from NHS QIS has been revised to reflect developments in policy and practice within mental health. The work has been led by NHS QIS in collaboration with multidisciplinary working and reference groups. The statement aims to offer guidance on practice to health professionals within adult mental health inpatient services, with an emphasis on multidisciplinary, inter-agency working and collaboration. The document extends to practice involving home treatment teams, intensive community support services, community-based crisis intervention teams, community mental health teams and health professionals within the primary care setting and those from the voluntary sector.

Psychosocial interventions in drug misuse

Psychosocial interventions in drug misuse : a framework and toolkit for implementing NICE-recommended treatment interventions (pre-publication version) / National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, March 2009

The document discusses a range of interventions including motivations interventions, contingency management, cognitive behaviour therapy and behavioural activation.

Throughout 2009 the NTA is developing a series of practical tools to help clinicians and drugs workers deliver effective and workable psychosocial interventions. Last month it published 'Routes to Recovery', a report outlining evidence based mapping techniques for treating drug addiction based on two successful pilots - the Birmingham Treatment Effectiveness Initiative (BTEI) and the International Treatment Effectiveness Project (ITEP). A full copy of this report is available on the NTA website here.

Changing Scotland's relationship with alcohol

This Framework, published by the Scottish Government on 4 March, sets out the government's strategic approach to tackling alcohol misuse in Scotland. It explains the need for action in order to help deliver Government's Purpose and outlines how they intend to take forward the proposals contained in the discussion paper "Changing Scotland's Relationship with Alcohol" following the outcome of the public consultation in 2008, a summary of which is contained in Annex A to this document.

Each section of the Framework outlines actions already underway, existing and new commitments. Proposals include:
* bring forward regulations to end irresponsible promotions and below-cost selling of alcoholic drinks in licensed premises (paras 31-35);
* pursue the establishment of a minimum price per unit of alcohol through regulation (paras 36-44);
* review advice to parents and carers (paras 49-50);
* place a duty on Licensing Boards to consider raising the age for off-sales purchases to 21 in part or all of their Board area and provide powers for Chief Constables and Licensing Forum to request a review of their local Board's policy (paras 51-55);
* establish a legislative power to apply a social responsibility fee on some alcohol retailers (paras 56-59);
* bring forward regulations to restrict the use of marketing material or activity on licensed premises (paras 94-101).