Number of drink-related deaths falls to lowest in nearly two decades

Wide range of services helps to tackle drinking problems

Alcohol- related deaths in Lanarkshire have fallen to their lowest level since 2001.

Figures released by the National Records of Scotland revealed that there were 137 deaths in the region counted as being due to alcohol in 2019.

Of those deaths, 91 were in North Lanarkshire – the lowest since 2013 – and 46 were in South Lanarkshire – the lowest since 1997.

The figures represent a 19 per cent drop since 2018 – when 170 alcohol-related deaths were recorded in the region.

Men accounted for nearly two-thirds of alcohol-specific deaths in 2019, while most alcohol-specific deaths are of people in their 50s and 60s.

In a statement, NHS Lanarkshire outlined the range of services which are available for people to reduce their alcohol use.

A spokesperson for the health board said: “The number of people who have lost their lives due to alcohol use is tragic and it is crucial that, as an organisation, NHS Lanarkshire continues to work collectively and collaboratively with other partners, including South Lanarkshire and North Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnerships, to ensure that we are supporting and treating those affected by alcohol misuse and addressing the wider root causes.

“Across Lanarkshire there are a number of community services and initiatives in place which support people to reduce their alcohol misuse.

“This includes outreach services providing support and advice and delivered by the Health and Social Care Partnerships’ drug and alcohol treatment services.

“There are 10 community drug and alcohol treatment services across Lanarkshire who all work with people suffering alcohol dependence, with third sector support services in all areas of Lanarkshire available for ‘ followon’ work once people have reduced or stopped their alcohol use – or to engage with those with less severe problems, and work preventively on these to avoid them becoming more harmful.

“In our hospitals and outwith, one standard of care is the use of Alcohol Brief Interventions to help people recognise when their alcohol use is becoming problematic for them, and to prevent it progressing to more harmful levels.

“We also have a specific nursing team who work in our hospitals offering interventions for people with alcohol problems when they’re admitted to hospital, as well as peer volunteers with lived experience working in Emergency Departments, both of whom will help engage people with problem alcohol use – both in hospital and to services in the community, offering a wide range of interventions including:

■ support for the significant problems people face in addition to alcohol-related issues (e.g. housing and homelessness,

financial issues, family problems) )

■ psychosocial support for people wishing to reduce their alcohol use or to become abstinent

■ support for families affected by someone’s problem alcohol use, including a whole family approach and support from Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs

■ mental health assessment,

treatment and support - with input from psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health nursing staff, allied health professionals, and the third sector

■ support to help engage people with local and national recovery groups and mutual aid, as well a direct support to help people improve their social contacts, activity levels and quality of life

■ access to service medical staff and facilitation of support to access primary care to help improve and manage physical health issues

■ support from social work and social care staff

■ medication- based treatments to help people reduce their alcohol use or maintain abstinence

■ the facility for people to be supported into detoxification in the community, if safe to do so

■ identification of those suffering significant capacity/cognitive issues due to alcohol and related factors, with help for this from all services collaboratively, including use of legislative measures to support people health, safety and wellbeing – and to promote autonomy and independence

■ access to all other interventions and

support that any Lanarkshire resident can access

“The team can also, where appropriate, arrange planned inpatient admissions for people unable to detox safely in the community.

“As an organisation we need to ensure that we are doing everything within our expertise that we can to support those most vulnerable and at risk.” Across Scotland, 1,020 alcohol-specific deaths were registered last year – the lowest tally since 2016.

The decline comes in the first full year since minimum unit pricing was introduced in May 2018 however, statisticians have said analysis of further years will be required to see if this reduction continues.

We’ll toast that Drink-related deaths have gone down