Dr Dan Poulter, Associate Medical Director, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (Credit: House of Commons)
Former Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter calls for the urgent introduction of digital pathways to tackle unprecedented capacity pressures on alcohol services.
The addiction psychiatrist and associate medical director of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, wrote the foreword to a white paper recommend a redesign of alcohol services focused on digital and community-based abstinence pathways.
Poulter, who was health minister between September 2012 and May 2015, said Digital health news: “We know that the current model does not work very well.
“We regularly see people with inherently alcohol-related challenges who are unable to engage effectively with existing services.
“There is an unmet need and digital offers the opportunity to better engage with a wide variety of patients,” he said.
The white paper, ‘Impact and barriers: a national survey of UK adults on alcohol dependence‘ published by addiction charity Adfam, the University of Sussex and a social enterprise Clean Slate Clinic in January, presents the results of a survey of 2,037 UK adults, conducted in December 2025.
It found that among higher-risk drinkers the main barriers to seeking support are NHS waiting times (cited by 24.5% of respondents) and the stigma surrounding addiction (cited by 24.1%).
Poulter said people may be reluctant to book face-to-face services out of embarrassment, while digital services allow patients to discreetly seek advice through email, messages and apps.
“There is an opportunity to engage, understand the challenges and then put in place a clear care plan for what the next steps will look like for someone who needs support through detox.
“One of the main reasons people leave or drop out of programs is often the challenge of getting to physical appointments, and we know that digital is a very good way to overcome that and improve compliance.
“I had some experience of increased use of digital in the NHS during the pandemic and in some ways we have lost some of that learning today,” he said.
Digital pathways include virtual health screenings, a doctor-supervised home detox with daily virtual health checks, and long-term aftercare delivered through digital group sessions.
The white paper also recommends the development of family-inclusive pathways that enable concerned family members to access counselling, assessment support and participate in treatment planning, with appropriate safeguards against coercion and domestic abuse.
Viv Evans, CEO of adfamwho works with people affected by other people’s addictions, said Digital health news that digital services can enable support from friends and family through technological platforms, despite barriers such as geography, stigma and distancing.
“A digital service breaks many barriers inherent to our sector.
“Being able to participate online means that people can use and lean on those who are their safe support system, even if they don’t necessarily live around the corner.
“Digital remote services open up a whole range of possibilities that can ultimately only improve support for the drinker and the family member,” he added.
Meanwhile, a partnership between X-in Health and alcohol charity Drinkaware, announced in October 2025, allows patients to be given alcohol advice via the AI Surgery Assist chatbot used by GP surgeries.
