Drug and Alcohol Health Integration Team

The Drug and Alcohol Health Integration Team (HIT) is a team of public health experts, academics, doctors and other professionals, working together to reduce the harm that can be caused by alcohol and substance use.

Excessive alcohol use is the third leading risk factor for morbidity in Western Europe. Liver disease is the fifth most common cause of death in the UK and is on the increase, primarily caused by excessive drinking and hepatitis C (HCV). Over 85 per cent of HCV in the UK is due to injecting drug use, and opiate-related deaths are a major contributor to premature mortality.

Latest news and events

Drug and Alcohol HIT event explore new ways to support people with prescription opioid dependence

16 March 2020

On Wednesday, 4 March 2020, the Drug and Alcohol Health Integration Team (HIT) brought together service providers, service users, researchers and commissioners to discuss how to address prescription opioid dependence in Bristol, North Somerset and South G...

Pilot service in South Glos helps patients with chronic pain reduce their use of opioids

20 January 2020

Researchers at the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Evaluation of Interventions and NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) West have found that a new pilot service in South Gloucestershire is helping patients with chronic pain reduce their use o...

Evidence that tobacco smoking increases risk of depression and schizophrenia

2 December 2019

A new study published today [Wednesday 6 November] in Psychological Medicine and led by University of Bristol researchers has found that tobacco smoking may increase your risk of developing depression and schizophrenia.

Study looked for links between teenage anxiety and later harmful drinking

2 December 2019

Researchers at the University of Bristol have found evidence of an association between generalised anxiety disorder at age 18 and harmful drinking three years later, thanks to the long-term health study Children of the 90s.

£4.1 million cost saving forecast as result of safer syringes

18 November 2019

Work conducted by our Drug and Alcohol HIT members has led to ‘low dead space’ syringes being phased into Bristol’s needle and syringe programme.

Bristol Health Partners to invest £176k in its Health Integration Teams

13 May 2019

Health Integration Teams (HITs) are set to benefit from £176k of investment from Bristol Health Partners in 2019-20. HITs requested funding from the partnership for a wide variety of projects, with the majority receiving funding.

The Drug and Alcohol HIT's work in 2018-19

26 April 2019

Kyla Thomas, Thara Raj and Tim Williams, Directors of the Drug and Alcohol Health Integration Team (HIT), reflect on their team’s work in 2018-19....

Drug and Alcohol HIT Director wins research prize

17 April 2019

Dr Kyla Thomas has been jointly awarded the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA) Fred Yates prize for researcher of the year 2019.

Low dead space materials launched at Bristol event

31 January 2019

More than 70 people gathered to hear about a project to produce materials to promote the use of safer low dead space injecting equipment on Thursday 24 January.

New materials designed with people who inject drugs to promote the benefits of low dead space equipment

3 December 2018

New posters, a booklet and an animation, co-designed by service users from Bristol Drugs Project, are being launched on 24 January to promote the benefits of low dead space injecting equipment for people who inject drugs, alongside broader harm reduction...

Health Integration Teams attract nearly £4.7 million in 2017-18

15 June 2018

Bristol Health Partners Health Integration Teams (HITs) have attracted nearly £4.7 million in funding to the local health system in 2017-18.

Olly Watson on the impact of our intern Megan Davies's work

18 May 2018

Olly Watson, Senior Project Manager at Bristol Health Partners, on the impact of Megan Davies's work with us. Megan has been working with Bristol Health Partners on an internship for the past three months....

Our intern Megan Davies on her time with Bristol Health Partners

15 May 2018

Megan Davies, who has been working with Bristol Health Partners on an internship for the past three months, reflects on what she's learned during her time in Bristol.

A year of successes for the Drug and Alcohol HIT

24 April 2018

Kyla Thomas, Leonie Roberts, Katherine Williams and Tim Williams, Directors of the Drug and Alcohol Health Integration Team (HIT), reflect on their team’s work in 2017-18.

Seminar on supporting service design and delivery showcases HIT achievements

7 February 2018

Five Health Integration Teams (HITs) presented their work aimed at keeping people out of hospital at a special lunchtime seminar on 5 February, to commissioners, project managers, researchers and people from the voluntary sector.

Drug and Alcohol Health Integration Team review of 2016-17

19 May 2017

Leonie Roberts, Matthew Hickman, Katherine Williams and Tim Williams, Directors of the Drug and Alcohol Health Integration Team (HIT), reflect on their team’s work in 2016-17.

HITs bring nearly £4m in funding to the region in last nine months

27 March 2017

Health Integration Teams (HITs) have brought £3,988,121 of funding to the region since July 2016. Some of these awards are for research, while others are for service innovation.

Researchers find people who inject drugs would be willing to switch to safer equipment

26 October 2016

People who inject drugs support the use of new, safer ‘low dead space’ syringes, NIHR-funded researchers from the University of Bristol have found.

Healthwatch Bristol publishes guide for public involvement in mental health services

9 September 2016

Healthwatch Bristol has published a guide for patients and the public, to help them find out how they can make their voices heard on local mental health services.

Health Integration Teams projects being taken forward by CLAHRC West

11 July 2016

Six projects relating to the work of Bristol Health Partners Health Integration Teams (HITs) are being taken forward by NIHR CLAHRC West from their 2016 project call.

Health Integration Team model evaluation paper published

1 July 2016

The results of NIHR CLAHRC West's preliminary evaluation of the ‘Health Integration Team’ model have been published in BMC Health Services Research.

Our 2015-16 annual review is out now

27 June 2016

Our 2015-16 annual review was launched at our annual Health Integration Team (HIT) conference on 17 June. The Bristol Health Partners annual review showcases the work of the partnership and includes updates from most of our 20 HITs and a round-up of the...

Could hepatitis C treatments help prevent virus transmission?

18 May 2016

An international team of researchers has shed light on the potential impact of new drugs for hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV is an important cause of liver cancer and is transmitted through blood to blood contact.

Study finds low dead space syringes are acceptable to users

8 March 2016

The NIHR CLAHRC West project, in collaboration with the Addictions Health Integration Team, examining whether a new ‘low dead space’ syringe would be acceptable to people who inject drugs, has found that users support use of the new syringe.

Methadone increases death risk in first four weeks of treatment for opioid dependence

16 September 2015

Patients who start treatment for dependence on opioids are five times as likely to die in the first four weeks when they are prescribed the most commonly used treatment, methadone, than with an alternative treatment, buprenorphine, a study by researchers...