Dr Emma King is a Research fellow in the Salvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research at the University of Stirling. Her background is in health services research, particularly on feasibility studies and intervention development. She has worked with a variety of participant groups, including cancer patients, women smoking in pregnancy, and farmers. She is currently working on the evaluation of Scotland’s first Managed Alcohol Programme.

Abstract

Evaluating Scotland’s first managed alcohol programme

Managed alcohol programmes (MAPs) are a harm reduction approach specifically designed for people experiencing homelessness and alcohol dependence. MAPs provide alcohol in regulated doses through the day, alongside wider support for housing, physical/mental health, welfare, and social connections. The overall aim was to evaluate Scotland’s first MAP in detail and understand the impact on residents, and views of staff, external stakeholders, and the wider community. Our study evaluated Scotland’s first MAP, which opened in Glasgow in late 2021 and provides a ‘low threshold’, trauma-informed, residential service for 10 men. This mixed methods study involved a realist review; a comparison of data on alcohol use and health outcomes for 10 MAP residents and 10 controls; photo elicitation, alongside in-depth interviews with MAP residents; and interviews with staff and stakeholders. We will focus on presenting the findings from our quantitative data collection and qualitative interviews. We will present descriptive statistics for the outcome of the questionnaires and reflect on missing data points. Qualitative interview data from both residents and stakeholders will be discussed. This will include photographs and captions created by the MAP residents during the photo elicitation sessions. Recruitment and retainment were feasible with this participant group, although intensive researcher input was required. We will spend time reflecting on some of the challenges of data collection with this group, the appropriateness of current standardised questionnaires, themes from qualitative interviews, and the implications for feasibility of scale-up to further studies.