About the MCA
What is the Medical Council on Alcohol?
Is it an organization of doctors interested in alcohol?
Is it exclusively for doctors then?
How is this expertise harnessed?
What is the Medical Council on Alcohol?
Is it the body which decides whether and when and under what conditions an addicted doctor can continue to practice? No, that is the Health Committee of the General Medical Council, but you would be surprised at the number of telephone calls for the General Medical Council we get.
Is it an organization of doctors interested in alcohol?
It is true that it was founded by doctors, in 1967, and they are interested in alcohol, not simply to pursue an academic or personal consuming interest though, but "for the benefit of the community to provide an organization of registered medical pratitioners with a view to co-ordination of effort, the better understanding of alcoholism and its prevention and the treatment and after-care of alcoholics" (Memorandum of Association).
Is it exclusively for doctors then? Certainly not!
Of the approximately 370 members over a third are associate members, that is to say individuals who are not registered medical practitioners, or have group membership, like drug and alcohol teams or probation services. Nearly all have a professional interest in alcohol and alcoholism. It is probably fair to say therefore that the Medical Council on Alcohol is not just the voice of the medical profession on alcoholism but also the voice of the alcohol professionals on the effects of alcohol on health.
Amongst the doctors there is a tremendous range of expertise, including gastroenterologists, cardiologists, pathologists, psychiatrists, occupational physicians, public health and accident and emergency specialists. Therein lies one of the strengths of the Medical Council on Alcohol since many of these are our Regional Advisers scattered throughout the United Kingdom, for the most part in the principal medical schools where about a third are professors in their specialty.
How is this expertise harnessed?
The network of Regional Advisers is engaged in promoting alcohol education in the medical school curricula in competition with a stream of other topics clamouring for attention. Of course their knowledge and enthusiasm informs their own teaching, and they make their particular expertise available when needed, for example in the preparation of a Health Education Authority leaflet or when dealing with the hundreds of enquiries which the Medical Council on Alcohol receives from the public, particularly the media. Some of the
latter are tiresomely demanding but others result in thoughtful well-informed pieces which reach a wide audience, thus enabling us to fulfill our mission which is to be "committed to improving medical understanding of alcohol related problems".
All members, Full and Associate, contribute to this mission to a lesser or greater extent. Some do so more particularly through their authorship of material in the Medical Council on Alcohol's own publications such as the quarterly newsletter Alcoholis or the handbook and Alcohol & Health for medical practitioners and medical students. The MCA is also in collaboration with OUP with the continual release of the Journal Alcohol & Alcoholism which is published by OUP. More excitingly Alcohol & Alcoholism has just done a special issue on the brain which has been very successful.
Sadly our funds do not permit us to engage extensively in the "treatment and after-care of alcoholics" as our Memorandum of Association indicates that we should, though alcoholics, their families, friends and colleagues, do use us as a sort of helpline and we do what we can in that respect. This is especially true for healthcare workers, and we are an official contact point for the British Doctor' and Dentists' Group, a support group of recovering medical and dental drug and alcohol users. The MCA also refers many potential patients to the Practitioners Health Programme, a programme set up by the nhs for doctors with drinking problems. This is a safe avenue for doctors to get assistance with confidentiality, an issue that is very common amongst doctors.
The MCA continues to contribute to the preparatory work on the Department of Health's Sensible Drinking report and to the National Strategy for Alcohol prepared by Alcohol Concern also for the Department of Health.
The Medical Council on Alcoholism used to commission research frequently but again our funding does not generally permit this now. Although this is the case, the MCA has recently contributed small sums of money to research projects that we feel will make a difference in issues relating to alcohol.
If you would like to share in our work or have any other questions contact us.
