Alcohol use: brief intervention for people with depression or anxiety

This indicator covers the percentage of patients with a new diagnosis of depression or anxiety and a FAST score of 3 or more or AUDIT-C score of 5 or more in the preceding 12 months, who have received brief intervention to help them reduce their alcohol related risk within 3 months of the score being recorded. It measures outcomes that reflect the quality of care or processes linked by evidence to improved outcomes.

Last reviewed: August 2019

Next review: September 2026

This indicator will be reviewed using the assessment criteria in appendix B of the NICE indicators process guide when it reaches its review date or the underlying guidance is updated.

This indicator was previously published as NM178.

How to use NICE indicators and how we develop them

Indicators can be used in a number of different settings to support high quality care. These include:

• identifying where improvements are needed
• setting priorities for quality improvement and support
• creating local performance dashboards
• benchmarking performance against national data
• supporting local quality improvement schemes
• showing progress that local health systems are making on outcomes.

Find out how to use indicators and how we develop them.