Booze battle continues as deaths rise
Figuresshow fatalityrate relatedto alcoholis up 40%
Alcohol-related death rates across the NHS Lanarkshire area increased 40 per cent last year on the previous 12 months.
And the new statistics show that the health board is one of four in Scotland with a higher than average alcohol-specific death rate.
Across the country, deaths caused by alcohol rose by 17 per cent last year – the highest level for more than a decade.
The number of deaths in the Lanarkshire health board region increased 40 per cent, representing the sharpest rise in Scotland.
And the figures reveal a divide between the north and south of the region.
The stats show that in 2020, South Lanarkshire recorded 92 alcoholspecific deaths, up from 46 recorded in 2019.
In neighbouring North Lanarkshire, 101 alcohol-specific deaths were registered in 2020, up from 91 registered in 2019.
Dr Adam Brodie, NHS Lanarkshire’s clinical director for addictions, said: “Every life lost through alcohol use is a tragedy and the knock-on effects on the people who know and care for the deceased are deeply traumatic for all those affected.
“Alcohol dependency can be brought about by a number of factors such as stress or personal issues.
“There are community services and initiatives in place which can support people to reduce their alcohol misuse.
“The best way to address alcohol-related illnesses is through prevention which is a major focus of the work of both the North Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership and the South Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership. A central tenet to this is the delivery of alcohol brief interventions – which is a short conversation about alcohol consumption with someone in contact with a service that seeks to motivate and support them to think about and reduce their alcohol consumption.
“In 2018, NHS Lanarkshire increased its gastroenteritis/liver service across our three acute hospital sites.
‘The service works with individuals identified as at risk of, or diagnosed with, alcohol-related liver disease and aims to reduce harm and to support their physical health needs.”
The National Records of Scotland statistics show there were 1190 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Scotland – 170 more than the previous year.
This was the highest number of alcohol-specific deaths registered since 2008.
Eleven council areas had death rates greater than the five-year average for Scotland (20.5 deaths per 100,000 population) in 2016-2020.
North Lanarkshire was within the top three council areas for having the highest death rate (29.8).
Only Inverclyde (31.6) and Glasgow City (31.3) were higher.
Dr Brodie added: “We have a specific nursing team who work in our hospitals offering interventions for people with alcohol problems.
“We also have peer volunteers with lived experience working in emergency departments, both helping engage people with problem alcohol use by offering a wide range of interventions and support.
“NHS Lanarkshire continue to fully support the introduction of minimum unit pricing, which does seem to have resulted in reduced alcohol sales in Scotland, particularly for those who had previously purchased the most alcohol, according to recent evidence.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, services are seeing an increase in the number of people seeking support for alcohol-related issues, many of whom are new to the services.
“The collaborative work by both partnerships helps ensure we are doing everything within our expertise that we can to support those most vulnerable and at risk, with a multi-agency group set up across as many services involved in this work as possible, to improve our focus and actions on alcoholrelated harm.”
This NRS report presents mortality rates for deaths from causes known to be exclusively caused by alcohol consumption.
Alcoholic liver disease and mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol have been the leading causes of alcohol death since 2000.
Most alcohol-specific deaths were of people in their 50s and 60s, with the average age being
59.9 for men and
57.4 for women.
Public health minister Maree
Todd said lockdown had led to people who were drinking heavily consuming even more alcohol.
She said: “Although alcohol consumption in Scotland dropped in
2020, evidence from various surveys has shown those who were drinking heavily before the pandemic were more likely to increase their drinking during lockdown, thereby increasing their risk of harm.”
Every life lost through alcohol is a tragedy and the effect on people who care is deeply traumatic Dr Adam Brodie