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Alcohol-related hospital admissions at record high
Charity demands overhaul of Licensing Act after alcohol-related admissions in England top 1m in a year
Alcohol-related hospital admissions in England have doubled in less than a decade, according to the NHS. Alcohol-related admissions to hospitals in England have topped 1m in a year for the first time - and have more than doubled in less than a decade, NHS figures show.
Men comprised nearly two-thirds of admissions (63%), which rose by 12% between 2008/9 and 2009/10, according to statistics in a report by the NHS Information Centre. The admissions include alcohol-related falls and accidents as well as longer term damage including cirrhosis, cancers, heart disease and mental health problems. Prescriptions for treating alcohol abuse have also risen.
Statistics show there were 1,057,000 admissions in 2009/10. The 2008/09 figure was 945,500, while that for 2002/03 was 510,800. There were more older than young people admitted. Figures also indicate alcohol dependency costs the NHS £2.41m in prescription items. This is up 1.4% on the £2.38m the previous year and 40% on 2002/2003 (£1.72m).
There were 160,181 prescription items prescribed for drugs to treat alcohol dependency in primary care settings or NHS hospitals and dispensed in the community. This is a increase of 6% on the previous year (150,445) and an increase of 56% since 2002/03 (102,741).
The charity Alcohol Concern called the figures "deeply worrying but not at all surprising". Its chief executive, Don Shenker, said: "The government's ongoing failure to tackle the root causes of alcohol misuse means we will see hospital admissions continue to rise in the future.
"While the Department of Health invites the drinks industry to formulate alcohol policy, it is cutting its funding to organisations like Alcohol Concern. Local alcohol services are at the forefront of tackling misuse but they are being hit by a double whammy of NHS reform and reductions in local authority funding.
"In the meantime, we have fig leaf proposals, such as the ban on selling alcohol below the cost of alcohol duty and VAT and a responsibility deal, when the evidence shows these policies will have no impact.
"Alcohol is one of the biggest public health problems facing the country yet sadly this government is showing no commitment to dealing with the problem. Without minimum unit pricing, a radical overhaul of the Licensing Act and investment in alcohol treatment we predict there will be more than 1.5m admissions within four years."
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, who chairs the UK Alcohol Health Alliance, told the BBC: "This confirms doctors' impressions that the health harm from alcohol continues to rise. While total alcohol consumption has fallen in recent years it is likely that the number of abstainers in England is increasing, but those who do drink continue to do so in a harmful and destructive way."
The public health minister, Anne Milton, said: "These statistics show that the old ways of tackling public health problems have not always yielded the necessary improvements. We are already taking action to tackle problem drinking, including plans to stop supermarkets selling below-cost alcohol and working to introduce a tougher licensing regime. We will also be publishing a new alcohol strategy later this year."
Tim Straughan, the NHS chief information centre's chief executive, said: "This report provides health professionals and policymakers with a useful picture of the health issues relating to alcohol use and misuse. It also highlights the importance of policy makers and health professionals in recognising and tackling alcohol misuse which in turn could lead to savings for the NHS."

(Articolo pubblicato dal CUFRAD sul sito www.alcolnews.it)