Binge drinking fuelled by cheap alcohol is having a ‘huge impact’ on health services, the head of the NHS warned yesterday. Chief executive Simon Stevens said the Government needed to deal with the ‘overuse’ of alcohol urgently as it is creating problems for over-stretched A&E units. He highlighted figures showing that the average price of alcohol relative to wages has dropped by almost half since the 1980s. The head of the NHS warned the Government needed to deal with the ‘overuse’ of alcohol urgently as it is creating problems for over-stretched A&E units (file picture) Although Mr Stevens did not directly call for a minimum price for alcohol, he said ministers should ‘take a look’ at what needed to be done. The most recent NHS figures show that more than one million patients are being admitted to hospital for alcohol-related illness and injuries every year –twice as many as a decade ago. But despite the ever-growing toll on health services, the Government has so far refused to introduce minimum pricing. Ministers claim it would hit responsible drinkers but critics accuse them of ‘dancing to the tune’ of the alcohol industry. Mr Stevens refused to be drawn on whether he supports a minimum price per unit. But at a conference at the King’s Fund think-tank in London, he said the problem of alcohol abuse needs to be examined imminently. ‘Alcohol, together with sugar, is one of the debates we really need the new government to address very early,’ he said. ‘The relative price of alcohol has come down by 48 per cent between 1980 and 2010. So that is something we will want the next government to look at. ‘We want the Health Service to stand up and be counted in this debate, recognising the huge impact alcoholism and alcohol-induced emergencies have all across the NHS. ‘It is an area of concern given the impact that overuse of alcohol is having on A&E departments and emergency admissions.’ The Coalition had proposed setting a minimum price for alcohol of 40p a unit in 2012 but shelved the plans the following year. The most recent NHS figures show that more than one million patients are being admitted to hospital for alcohol-related illness and injuries every year –twice as many as a decade ago . Ministers cited lack of ‘concrete evidence’ and warned of hitting responsible, middle-class drinkers. But last year it was revealed they had held 130 meetings with members of the drinks industry since 2010, prompting claims they caved in to lobbyists. Researchers say a minimum price per unit of at least 45p could save 600 lives a year and stop 23,000-plus hospital admissions. Yesterday Dr Cliff Mann, president of the College of Emergency Medicine, said: ‘We have tolerated excessive consumption and that is harming people. ‘The acute problems we see are people being very drunk, injuring themselves and ending up comatose. ‘It is possible to buy alcohol 24/7 and for vast numbers of the population, they have to go less than a few hundred yards. If you make it cheaper and more available, alcohol-related injury and illness will go up.’ Jackie Ballard, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, welcomed Mr Stevens’s comments and ‘support for a minimum unit price’. She said: ‘Excessive consumption is taking a heavy toll on the health of the nation and we’re all paying towards a £21billion annual bill. Hospitals are straining from the burden and police are stretched to their limits.’
NHS chief Simon Stevens says overuse of alcohol is overstretching A&E .
NHS figures show more than 1million admitted for alcohol-related illness .
This is twice as many patients that were treated in hospital a decade ago .
Average price of alcohol relative to wages has dropped by half since 1980s .
Government has so far refused to introduce minimum price for alcohol .
Binge drinking fuelled by cheap alcohol is having a ‘huge impact’ on health services, the head of the NHS warned yesterday. Chief executive Simon Stevens said the Government needed to deal with the ‘overuse’ of alcohol urgently as it is creating problems for over-stretched A&E units. He highlighted figures showing that the average price of alcohol relative to wages has dropped by almost half since the 1980s. The head of the NHS warned the Government needed to deal with the ‘overuse’ of alcohol urgently as it is creating problems for over-stretched A&E units (file picture) Although Mr Stevens did not directly call for a minimum price for alcohol, he said ministers should ‘take a look’ at what needed to be done. The most recent NHS figures show that more than one million patients are being admitted to hospital for alcohol-related illness and injuries every year –twice as many as a decade ago. But despite the ever-growing toll on health services, the Government has so far refused to introduce minimum pricing. Ministers claim it would hit responsible drinkers but critics accuse them of ‘dancing to the tune’ of the alcohol industry. Mr Stevens refused to be drawn on whether he supports a minimum price per unit. But at a conference at the King’s Fund think-tank in London, he said the problem of alcohol abuse needs to be examined imminently. ‘Alcohol, together with sugar, is one of the debates we really need the new government to address very early,’ he said. ‘The relative price of alcohol has come down by 48 per cent between 1980 and 2010. So that is something we will want the next government to look at. ‘We want the Health Service to stand up and be counted in this debate, recognising the huge impact alcoholism and alcohol-induced emergencies have all across the NHS. ‘It is an area of concern given the impact that overuse of alcohol is having on A&E departments and emergency admissions.’ The Coalition had proposed setting a minimum price for alcohol of 40p a unit in 2012 but shelved the plans the following year. The most recent NHS figures show that more than one million patients are being admitted to hospital for alcohol-related illness and injuries every year –twice as many as a decade ago . Ministers cited lack of ‘concrete evidence’ and warned of hitting responsible, middle-class drinkers. But last year it was revealed they had held 130 meetings with members of the drinks industry since 2010, prompting claims they caved in to lobbyists. Researchers say a minimum price per unit of at least 45p could save 600 lives a year and stop 23,000-plus hospital admissions. Yesterday Dr Cliff Mann, president of the College of Emergency Medicine, said: ‘We have tolerated excessive consumption and that is harming people. ‘The acute problems we see are people being very drunk, injuring themselves and ending up comatose. ‘It is possible to buy alcohol 24/7 and for vast numbers of the population, they have to go less than a few hundred yards. If you make it cheaper and more available, alcohol-related injury and illness will go up.’ Jackie Ballard, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, welcomed Mr Stevens’s comments and ‘support for a minimum unit price’. She said: ‘Excessive consumption is taking a heavy toll on the health of the nation and we’re all paying towards a £21billion annual bill. Hospitals are straining from the burden and police are stretched to their limits.’
price of alcohol relative to wages has dropped by almost half since the 1980s. The head of the NHS call for a minimum price for alcohol, he said to hospital for alcohol-related illness and services, the Government has so far refused to impact that overuse of alcohol is having on A&E figures show that more than one million patients –twice as many as a decade ago . Ministers cited