Westminster Council’s Rough Sleeping Team has launched a Blue Light Project to support staff working with vulnerable dependent drinkers.
This project will deliver Blue Light training for staff and disseminate best practice while working with this client group. The resources below can be downloaded to help your work with vulnerable dependent drinkers.
Thiamine, alcohol and alcohol related brain damage factsheet
This factsheet by the Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD) Network explains the impact of drinking on the nerve cells of the brain, recovery after abstinence and the importance of vitamins especially thiamine.
This video is of a touching story told by Jennie about her friend Ian who experienced homelessness and alcohol related illnesses.
Mental capacity assessment screening tool for severe weather
Two documents have been created that can be used when there is a concern about capacity regarding the specific decision not
to take up an offer of severe weather accommodation. The first document is for severe cold weather and the second is for hot weather. Best interest decisions are included as well as alternative options to be considered.
Information sharing and confidentiality agreement
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This is a template information sharing and confidentiality agreement that can be used at case conference meetings. Individuals at high risk of vulnerability will need support of multiple services at the same time and the services involved in the care of these individuals will need share information and work together.
Mental capacity assessment screening tool
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This document has been created to help staff to complete mental capacity assessments. Following on from learnings surrounding clients being able to often talk the talk, but not walk the walk (potential executive dysfunction), importance has been placed on providing evidence for whether the individual can weigh up and use the information surrounding the specific decision.
Mental Capacity assessment checklist
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This download provides a mental capacity assessment checklist which is relevant to ensure you have gone through a thorough assessment of capacity. An excellent PDF document to support staff in assessing executive functioning can also be downloaded from the lancashire Safeguarding website.
Recognising alcohol withdrawals
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Recognising alcohol withdrawals is important when supporting dependent drinkers so that you are aware of the risks. This information sheet is a grab sheet providing information on alcohol withdrawals and how staff can help to reduce risks.
‘Head injury & substance use?’ poster
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Natalie Miller from Great Chapel Street Medical Centre has created an important poster for staff to be aware of when supporting those that have suffered a head injury and are under the influence. This poster should be shared with staff teams so they are aware.
The Blue Light Approach: Identifying and addressing cognitive impairment in dependent drinkers.
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This guidance has been developed as part of a national, multi-partner initiative. It involved both national experts like Prof. Ken Wilson and Dr Julia Lewis, as well as partners from 25 local authorities and treatment agencies around England and Wales.
Best practice example in health care for people using substances: hospital and rehabilitation
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This best practice example is about a client with Korsakoff’s who lacked capacity to consent for dialysis treatment. He believed he still needed alcohol and was distracted by drinking continuously so would leave the hospital several times a day making his treatment complicated. This best practice example explains what adaptions were made both at the hospital and rehabilitation.
Keep your money safe Easy read leaflet
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This easy read leaflet can be used to help explain how some people may try multiple ways to take money and explores ways to keep money safe.
Vitamin B (Pabrinex) Easy read Leaflet
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This easy read leaflet can be used to help explain how vitamin B via a pabrinex injection will impact the brain and help counteract the impact of drinking alcohol.
BAME groups and substance use
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This document lists common issues for BAME groups using substances, highlighting the responsibility for us all to talk about this in supervision/ team meetings and provides a list of available reading around the topic and useful interventions.
The Safeguarding Adults Executive Boards’ 7 minute briefing – Andrew’s story
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Understanding complex needs through a new lens; an autism aware approach, the need for assertive, relational health approaches and importance of respectful professional challenge
Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD) factsheet
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This factsheet written by Dr Julia Lewis explains ARBD, what causes ARBD, what the damage is caused, and what can help treat ARBD.
Identifying and addressing cognitive impairment in dependent drinkers
499 KB
This is a guide for staff working in Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea which aims to raise awareness about cognitive impairment in drinkers, describing the effects of those impairments, guidance for screening/assessment, provide guidance on communication techniques and the impact of cognitive impairment on mental capacity and the use of legislative frameworks.
Supporting family members to respond to change resistant drinkers
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This toolkit has been produced by Alcohol Change and Adfam and is useful for staff members working in housing. It provides information on understanding and supporting someone through detoxification, understanding liver function tests, how we can reduce harm and motivating someone to change their drinking.
How to use legal powers to safeguard highly vulnerable dependent drinkers in England and Wales
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Alcohol change UK’s have produced this useful document How to use legal powers to safeguard highly vulnerable dependent drinkers in England and Wales
The Safeguarding Adults Executive Boards’ 7 minute briefing
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The Safeguarding Adults Executive Boards’ 7 minute briefing: Ian’s story and the 4 learning points to be taken from this case
The Blue Light Manual
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The Blue Light Manual sets out the key principles and contains a range of advice and tools for working with clients who are not in contact with services. The Blue Light training supports professionals in applying these principles and tools, and helps local areas set up the multi-partner forums and protocols needed to embed the programme