Every year NHS Direct sites across the country deal with hundreds of callers concerned about the effects of drugs.
Many calls are from patients but others come from worried friends or relatives.
Ross Cowie, mental health lead at NHS Direct, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Wirral, co-ordinates training for the site s team of nurse advisors in supporting callers with mental health or emotional needs. He says the service plays an important role in acting as a signpost for appropriate expert advice. Our nurses develop a range of skills as part of their training and one of those is picking up the signs that a caller, or caller s relative, may have drug or alcohol problems. The first part of the process is about accessing calls and recognising the trigger for the call and the impact of the substance abuse, mental health or emotional problem on the caller . Next is the caring element, where nurse advisors develop their communication skills to actively listen to a callers concerns and provide verbal support and reassurance.