A PIONEERING database to help people with drug and alcohol problems is to be piloted over the next three months.

Designed by the County Durham Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT), it is being tried out by the Substance Misuse Team, part of the County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust, based at Fraser House in Consett.

The database, nicknamed Poppie, reduces administration and enables more clinical time with the service users, to improve standards of care.

If the pilot scheme proves successful, the database, designed by Blithe Computer Systems, will be updated in all drug treatment centres in County Durham.

John Winter, project and systems manager with DAAT, said: "County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust will be the first statutory organisation nationally to use this database to electronically prescribe and treat drug misuse."