Quality standard
This quality standard covers identifying and supporting adults and young people (aged 10 and over) who may have an alcohol-use disorder and caring for people with alcohol-related health problems, as well as support for their families and carers. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.
It does not cover approaches to prevent harmful alcohol use. NICE has also published a quality standard on alcohol: preventing harmful use in the community.
It does not cover identifying, assessing and managing chronic liver disease in children, young people and adults, or cirrhosis in young people and adults. NICE has also published a quality standard on liver disease.
In July 2023, this quality standard was updated and replaced the previous quality standard published in 2011. The topic was identified for update following the annual review of quality standards. The review identified:
- changes in the priority areas for improvement
- changes in commissioning.
For more information, see update information.
How to use NICE quality standards and how we develop them
Quality standards help you improve the quality of care you provide or commission. They apply in England and Wales (see the UK government website and Welsh government website). Decisions on how they apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland are made by ministers in the Scottish government and Northern Ireland Executive.
Find out how to use quality standards and how we develop them.