Have Intergroup notify GSO that you have been elected and then set up your AA email. Share this with your local telephone service and other Intergroup officers for Health enquiries.

Talk to outgoing or previous HLOs about work in your Intergroup before you were appointed. Hopefully they will be able to handover any records, contacts, and resources.

If there has been no Intergroup HLO in post for some time speak to others in service at yours or neighbouring intergroups. Contact the Regional HLO who will help get you started.

Read the AA Service (especially chapter 6: AA and Healthcare in the Community) & Structure Handbooks for Great Britain. GSO will post these to you for free.

Attend Intergroup meetings and report on health activity. Send these reports to the Regional HLO.

Attend Regional workshops where you will meet other Intergroup HLOs and can share ideas, experience and coordinate activities.

Attend the Health Seminar at GSO in York (held every three years).
Draw up a plan to carry the message within the Intergroup area (see ideas for health activity). Start with simple ideas and build up from there.
If you are unsure how to start, ask for help from current or former liaison officers in your or other Intergroups, the Regional HLO and/or the HSC member who serves your Region and who can be contacted via GSO and/or our Trustee for Health.

Whatever problem you are having, someone else has had them and will share their solution. Health Liaison work, like all liaison work, is a team effort involving other members and disciplines. Wherever possible invite other members to health liaison activities. They will appreciate participation in primary-purpose outreach service.

Have a file of Intergroup HLOs within your Region and keep in regular contact with them. Schedule regular meetings of Intergroup HLOs where they will share experience and exchange ideas for future activity.
Attend Annual Regional Health Liaison Meetings in York.

Collate Intergroup reports on Health activity in the Region to send to the Regional secretary, Health Sub-committee and Intergroup HLOs.
Visit Intergroups to sponsor Intergroup HLOs and be involved in workshops on Health.

Take part in other events as appropriate. Join or establish a Regional PI/Health committees. It is much more effective and enjoyable to work as part of a team. Once you have started to make contacts, use them to network and find other opportunities.

The following list of activities are an indication of how we can fulfil our primary purpose.

1. Create a list of healthcare contacts in your area:
• Hospitals – medical training colleges
• Rehabilitation Centres
• Mental health charities
• G.P surgeries
• Local Authority Welfare Services
• Alcohol Support Services – Drug and Alcohol Teams
• Home detoxification services, Dentists, Community Health Centres/projects and Pharmacies.

2. Organise an AA stall at local public events

1. Invite/accompany professionals to open AA meetings
2. Give talks to groups of professionals – for example Open Meeting Workshops at medical training facilities
3. Look for opportunities to display AA literature. Find out if there is an Alcohol Liaison Nurse and contact them to see what help they might require.
4. Involve a local AA group as part of developing the relationship with the medical centre/healthcare professional.
5. Where possible, get an AA meeting started
6. Create a 12 step list for potential newcomers from rehabs, hospitals and referrals from professionals – see leaflet ‘Bridging the Gap’

Health educational establishments appreciate talks or Open Meeting Workshops (see separate section) to their students. These include Universities, Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Paramedic Practice, Health Scientists, Colleges with Health and Social Care departments or those that run Counselling Courses, local Health Initiatives run by CCGs or DAATs/ADPs, and GP Vocational Training Scheme programs. We suggest working with other liaison officers when developing this type of opportunity.

‘My name is Jane and I am both HLO for my local Intergroup and Regional HLO supporting 8 other Intergroup HLOs.

I really walked into the Region role initially as the vacancy was announced at the Region meeting – Is anyone available to take up the post, and the silence echoed around the room.

I have always worked within the Health care system but had avoided service related to it, as it was a little too close to home. That silence in the meeting, created space to think and I realised I had no real reason to say no and that was that. Picking up the Intergroup role at the same time made complete sense as I could not really offer wider Regional support if I had not created a local role and understood what does and does not work.

I treated both roles very much like getting sober. I reached out for help; spoke with others who had done it before, no matter where; read what was suggested and shared honestly. Fellowship and connection with others in a similar situation has proved invaluable. This is at all levels and in all disciplines of the fellowship as health touches on so many of the other disciplines including PI and Employment.

I offer one slight warning. For me working within the NHS system offered an artificial confidence which actually got in my way. I made presumptions about understanding the ways of working and the role I could play in supporting AA and the message. This I constantly had to park. My presumptions stopped me being curious as I thought I had the answers and curiosity is where the real learning is. Now I go into every Health Service session with a clearer understanding of the hat I have on. I am there as a recovering alcoholic to help share the message of AA. How that message is perceived is not within my gift.

My advice is to be brave and give it a go. You are your own message of recovery with the fellowship behind you and truth to guide you. I have made some mistakes, had some rich emotional successes and developed real friendships. What do you have to lose. Give it a go.

My name is Robin, and in the last ten years I have worked in Health at Intergroup, Region and on the Health Sub-committee. I first got involved on the fringe of PI work some years ago helping Intergroup officers with various activities. One of these was covering a stand at Crawley Hospital and at the end of the event the lady I was with asked me is there any reason why you could not take on the job of HLO at Intergroup. I answered give me 24 hours and I will come back to you, calculating that I would be able to think of that reason. I could not ….so I got the job!

I was initially hesitant because of my perception of the scale of the task, my lack of any knowledge of the health service, and uncertainty about where to start. The bit of advice that got me going was if in the next three years you talk to one medical professional who talks to one problem drinker who attends one AA meeting you will have been a success. My fear about lack of knowledge of medical matters and structures was drastically reduced when it was pointed out that I had lived experience of the problem, was an expert on our message and that was all I really needed.

The next and possibly the most important advice I picked up on was not to try and work alone. The Intergroup PI officer (the lady who got me into it in the first place) and I formed a PI team and our first presentations were to three mental health charities and the Samaritans. When we had finished these we were up and running and have now made presentations and conducted Open Meeting Workshops with many medical professionals. Along the way I have been privileged to work with some brilliant people, and have a lot of fun.’

When we carry the AA message to healthcare professionals we should be conscious of the audience. First year medical students will have different experiences of problem drinkers to those of practicing paramedics. As we are working with professionals we should always aim to give a structured and practised presentation.

There is significant experience amongst AA members of successfully working with healthcare professionals. Some of these activities have been shared and are available in the Document Library and File Store. They include videos, Powerpoint presentations, documents, press releases and articles by Non-Alcoholic Trustees.

These resources can form a basis for you to build upon. If members produce material which they feel has been successful, please send it to the General Service Board, Health Sub Committee see Confidential Directory/ aainformation@gsogb.org.uk

Resources relevant to HLOs
• Health video
• AA Service & Structure Handbooks
• AA pull-up banners: Steps, Traditions, Concepts, Helpline
• A newcomer asks
• Is AA for you?
• 2015 Membership Survey
• A brief guide to Alcoholics Anonymous
• How AA Members Cooperate with Professionals
• Speaking at Non AA Meetings
• The AA Member, Medication and other Drugs
• A message for professionals
• Understanding Anonymity

Papers by Non-Alcoholic Trustees (in Document Library/PI/PI Liaison Officers Press Pack)
• Dr Jaqueline Chang
• Dr Louise Foxcroft
• Paul Miles
• Dr Ash Kahn Consultant Psychiatrist
• Martin Weegman Clinical Psychologist
• Professor Jonathan Chick
• Mani Mehdikhani Clinical Psychologist

Talks, presentations, and draft letters can be found in the Health section of the document library and file store.

GSO/NSO & SSO can provide AA literature and banners which makes things look professional. Arrive early to set up, enlist help to keep the stand attended throughout the event. Create a form for enquiries and contact details to be passed on to the relevant Intergroup/Region to follow up. Bowls of sweets on the table can be a good ice-breaker.

Open Meeting Workshops
The initial concept was publicised in a 2007 Article in About AA US Newsletter for Professionals concerning a training program for Doctors in New York City, which paired first year medical students with AA members. This idea was developed by the Netherlands Intergroup who wished to take mental health nurses to an open meeting. One of the nurses suggested bringing the meeting to the Nurse’s Institute and in Utrecht January 2015 they held what they called a Masterclass for Mental Health Nurses. Since 2014 we have adopted and developed these original ideas.

The concept works because it allows us to contact more professionals by us going to them instead of them coming to us. E.g. an Intergroup HLO contacted 92 surgeries by letter and follow up call and got in front of 9; lots of work for limited gain. The Open Meeting concept of taking groups to professionals has proved much more effective. Since starting we have presented to over 3,000 professionals!

The first OMW in June 2015 was held at Mill View Hospital, Hove, with Dr Sarah Flowers, and subsequently we have held a regular session twice a year. We have also established regular OMW at the School of Health Sciences at University of Brighton (Eastbourne and Brighton), the University of Surrey in Guildford, University of London at St Georges Hospital and King’s College Hospital, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, University of Highlands and Islands Nursing degree and Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth.

Annual workshops are also held for local GP Vocational Training Schemes. Workshops have also been run for Pavilions D & A Service, Bromley GPs and Worthing Town Hall. The Worthing event was significant as it was carried out outside of a medical/educational environment. The open meeting was the centrepiece of a PI event attended by mental health charities, substance misuse services, police, nurses and local government officers.

Our objective is to make these professionals more aware and confident in AA, and to positively recommend AA to problem drinkers with whom they come into contact.

These sessions have had the spin off benefit of introducing service to hundreds of members, many of whom were new to service outside their group.

Members Involvement: Experience has shown us that a team of five or six members with a good gender/age/length of sobriety mix is ideal. At first the OMW concept can seem daunting, but in practice is familiar.

How to get the opportunity: Because of the time and size of audience ideally required we have started off by targeting medical training establishments. Personal introduction has proved the most successful contact method.

The concept will work in any situation where we can gather a group of interested professionals for two or three hours in a suitable environment.
If we are structured in our approach and delivery an OMW can be seen as a reliable/different way of filling a slot in the curriculum of any educational establishment.

Method: We have developed a set of tools to help run the OMW which can be found in the Health Section of the File Store. These include an introductory letter to interested professionals, members’ briefing, session plan, introductory presentation and evaluation handout.

At the start of session as an ice breaker we ask the audience for the first word that comes into their minds when they hear the word Alcoholic, and then again for AA. The responses are written on a flip chart for reference later.

The initial concept was publicised in a 2007 Article in About AA US Newsletter for Professionals concerning a training program for Doctors in New York City, which paired first year medical students with AA members. This idea was developed by the Netherlands Intergroup who wished to take mental health nurses to an open meeting. One of the nurses suggested bringing the meeting to the Nurse’s Institute and in Utrecht January 2015 they held what they called a Masterclass for Mental Health Nurses. Since 2014 we have adopted and developed these original ideas.

The concept works because it allows us to contact more professionals by us going to them instead of them coming to us. E.g. an Intergroup HLO contacted 92 surgeries by letter and follow up call and got in front of 9; lots of work for limited gain. The Open Meeting concept of taking groups to professionals has proved much more effective. Since starting we have presented to over 3,000 professionals!

The first OMW in June 2015 was held at Mill View Hospital, Hove, with Dr Sarah Flowers, and subsequently we have held a regular session twice a year. We have also established regular OMW at the School of Health Sciences at University of Brighton (Eastbourne and Brighton), the University of Surrey in Guildford, University of London at St Georges Hospital and King’s College Hospital, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, University of Highlands and Islands Nursing degree and Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth.

Annual workshops are also held for local GP Vocational Training Schemes. Workshops have also been run for Pavilions D & A Service, Bromley GPs and Worthing Town Hall. The Worthing event was significant as it was carried out outside of a medical/educational environment. The open meeting was the centrepiece of a PI event attended by mental health charities, substance misuse services, police, nurses and local government officers.

Our objective is to make these professionals more aware and confident in AA, and to positively recommend AA to problem drinkers with whom they come into contact.

These sessions have had the spin off benefit of introducing service to hundreds of members, many of whom were new to service outside their group.

Members Involvement: Experience has shown us that a team of five or six members with a good gender/age/length of sobriety mix is ideal. At first the OMW concept can seem daunting, but in practice is familiar.

How to get the opportunity: Because of the time and size of audience ideally required we have started off by targeting medical training establishments. Personal introduction has proved the most successful contact method.

The concept will work in any situation where we can gather a group of interested professionals for two or three hours in a suitable environment.
If we are structured in our approach and delivery an OMW can be seen as a reliable/different way of filling a slot in the curriculum of any educational establishment.

Method: We have developed a set of tools to help run the OMW which can be found in the Health Section of the File Store. These include an introductory letter to interested professionals, members’ briefing, session plan, introductory presentation and evaluation handout.

At the start of session as an ice breaker we ask the audience for the first word that comes into their minds when they hear the word Alcoholic, and then again for AA. The responses are written on a flip chart for reference later.

The Health Sub-committee has a file store for all AA members in service. The file store contains useful information such as, Intergroup and Region reports to the health sub-committee. Electronic presentations which can be adapted. Information on how to run an Open Meeting Workshop.

For access, contact Helpdesk stating your position at Intergroup or Region.

The file store is a ‘live’ system updated by submissions from HLOs whenever possible. For example, copies of letters, presentations, literature and other materials which have been useful in carrying the message. Please send contributions to your Regional HLO and Health Sub-committee and onto the File Store.