Concern at rate of hospital visits due to alcohol in region
ALCOHOL-RELATED hospital admission rates in the North East are the highest in the country.
The new figures were released as Scotland introduced a minimum price for booze, which had led to fresh calls from health campaigners for the same policy to apply south of the border in order to save lives and NHS cash.
While Blackpool in the North West has the highest figure of 1,150 hospital alcohol-related admissions per 100,000 population, four of the next five spots are taking up by local authority areas from this region.
They were Gateshead with 990, followed by South Tyneside and Sunderland – both on 980 – and North Tyneside at 940.
Further down the list came Newcastle and Northumberland – both on 840 – and then County Durham with 750, giving the North East an average of 870 – the highest for any region in England in the 2016/17 figures.
Colin Shevills, director of North East alcohol awareness charity Balance, said: “No region in England is doing more to tackle alcohol-related harm than the North East. While the region has the highest rates of alcoholrelated hospital admissions in the country, rates fell by over 4% between 2011/12 and 2015/16. Over the same period rates in England increased by almost 8%.
“We know much more needs to be done but it requires action at the national level to address the widespread affordability and availability of alcohol.”
In a previous report, the estimated cost of alcohol harm in the North East was put at £1.01bn a year in 2015/16. This was made up of: £209m in NHS and healthcare for services; £331m in crime and disorder ; £353m lost to local businesses and employers through absenteeism, lost productivity and alcohol-related deaths;
£121m in costs to children’s and adults’ social services and substance misuse services. Health, homelessness and children’s leaders have urged the Government to implement minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol in England like in Scotland. In Scotland, the floor price will be set at 50p per unit. This means a pint of beer containing two units will now have to cost at least £1. It also means a three-litre bottle of high-strength white cider containing the equivalent of 22 shots of vodka will cost more than £11 in Scotland, as opposed to as little as £3.50 in England. Campaigners say it is vital England does not get left behind. Delaying it for five years could in the North East alone mean 75 additional lives lost, 11,000 alcohol-related crimes and 4,600 hospital admissions which otherwise could have been avoided, costing the region almost £66m. Social drinkers have been assured that an MUP will leave prices in pubs, bars and restaurants virtually untouched. Mr Shevills added: “Recent research shows that in real terms, supermarket beer is almost three times cheaper today than it was 30 years ago. It’s also possible to buy three litres of strong, white cider – containing the equivalent in alcohol of 22 shots of vodka – for less than £4. “The cheaper alcohol is, the more we suffer through ill-health and crime, and the more pressure is put on the NHS and other public services.” Supermarket beer is almost three times cheaper today than it was 30 years ago