DAVID KIDNEY JOINS CALLS TO PROMOTE SENSIBLE DRINKING AND ALCOHOL HARM REDUCTION

Alcohol-related ill-health is an increasing burden for the National Health Service. Alcohol misuse costs the health service in the order of £2.7 billion a year, but efforts to address it locally are not in general well-planned, the National Audit Office reports today. 

Report summary

BBC coverage

 David Kidney is writing to the local Primary Care Trust, hospitals and police to offer his help in reducing alcohol harm in Stafford constituency:

“Hospital admissions for the three main alcohol-specific conditions (alcohol-related liver disease, mental health disorders linked to alcohol, and acute intoxication) have doubled in the last 11 years.  There were also twice as many deaths from alcohol-related causes in the UK in 2006 as there were 15 years before, increasing from 4,100 to 8,800.

“Primary Care Trusts are responsible for setting local health priorities and the Department of Health is responsible for giving a national lead and providing the funding for this work.
There is evidence that preventive services, such as ‘brief advice’ by GPs and health workers, can reduce alcohol consumption and help to prevent longer-term damage to health and there are some good local examples of this.  From September 2008 the Department has provided an additional £8 million in support for such services. For people who have developed severe alcohol problems, there has to be access to specialist treatment services, and better integration of hospital treatment with follow-on services such as psychiatry.

“The Department of Health is currently carrying out a publicity campaign to encourage sensible drinking.  Research has shown that consumers tend to underestimate the amount of alcohol their drinks contain and are not clear about what is meant by a ‘unit’ of alcohol.

NHS advice about Units.  

“As we all know, there are public order and crime effects on victims and communities as well as ill-health effects for individuals who consume too much alcohol. The effects on the latter group also have knock-on effects for our economy through lost work and loss of productivity.

“For these reasons, I support work at both the national and local levels to promote sensible drinking and to provide good quality public health and healthcare services for those who need help to overcome alcohol-related problems”.

Some facts about alcohol in Staffordshire

Talk to Frank - no nonsense advice about alcohol and drugs.

Drink sense

 Alcoholics Anonymous