20 January 2012 Last updated at 14:21 ET

Bid to reduce alcohol illnesses in Northamptonshire

A treatment plan aimed at reducing alcohol related hospital admissions has been launched in Northamptonshire.

NHS Northamptonshire will provide a community-based service to support patients with alcohol problems after they have been seen in hospital.

The scheme came about in 2009 because the county was given a "red flag" which meant that too many people had illnesses linked to alcohol.

The health service has invested more than £1m to tackle the problem.

Fiona Grant, from NHS Northamptonshire, said: "We are trying to make sure that people who already have issues with alcohol get the right treatment within the community.

"We have been working with various partners in Northamptonshire and we plan to continue doing that."

The new service would also include additional resources to provide mental health assessments which would be carried out by a qualified community psychiatric nurse.

Professor Stephen Horsley, director of public health for NHS Northamptonshire, said: "Reducing alcohol harm is one of the top priorities for health services in Northamptonshire so this integration of community based alcohol treatment services within the county is really important."