A survey of substance use by health care professionals and their attitudes to substance misuse patients (NHS Staff Survey)

Abstract

Objective and design: To survey NHS staff in one NHS Region to determine (i) the extent of substance use and related problems, (ii) therapeutic attitudes towards people with substance misuse problems. A single phase cross‐sectional survey of health care professionals across six health authorities in the Yorkshire and Humberside region of England. Fifteen service areas were randomly selected from general psychiatry, accident and emergency, general medicine, including liver and obstetric units. Data were collected by means of an anonymous self‐completion questionnaire.

Results and conclusion: Forty‐two per cent of questionnaires were returned. NHS staff reported similar rates of drinking, smoking and illicit drug use to those of the same age and sex in the general population. Doctors smoke less and use fewer illicit drugs, health care assistants smoke more and nurses use more illicit drugs. In contrast to surveys in primary care, this survey found that specialists scored low on role legitimacy of working with substance misusers. There is a logic as to why this might be the case, however, there needs to be a review of how best to deliver the government strategies for alcohol misuse, smoking and illicit drug use. In secondary care there is a case for substance misuse interventions by professionals who are not integral to the specialist team.

• NHS staff;
• survey;
• therapeutic attitude;
• patterns of substance use

Acknowledgements

The project was supported by Department of Health funding distributed through Educational Consortia as part of a Regional Training Initiative for secondary care staff in the NHS. We are grateful to those NHS staff who participated in the survey and to the managers who acted as the interface between the research team and clinicians. We are grateful for the Ethics Committees concerned in helping to develop the final protocol. Gail Crossley has provided expert administrative support.