Drive launched on drink problem as hospital cases rise

AMAJOR drive to tackle problem-drinking has been launched in South Gloucestershire amid a surge in hospital admissions, especially girls.

Health and council chiefs insist it is not a “finger-wagging, alcohol-is-allbad” approach despite a worrying increase that is bucking the national trend.

The district has the highest estimated rate of binge drinking in the Avon & Somerset Police area at 23 per cent, compared with 17 per cent for England overall, according to a report to South Gloucestershire health and wellbeing board.

It said: “Rates of hospital admissions caused by alcohol in South Gloucestershire are increasing and are higher than regional and national levels, particularly for females.

“Between a quarter and a third of the adult population in South Gloucestershire are estimated to be drinking alcohol at increasing or higher risk levels.

“This means they risk, or are, causing alcohol-related harm to themselves and those around them.

“For young people in year 10 (aged 14-15), 27 per cent reported drinking sometimes and 14 per cent frequently.

“Rates of alcohol-specific admissions to hospital for under 18s have increased in South Gloucestershire in contrast with decreasing rates nationally.

“Young women and girls are of particular concern accounting for 66 per cent of admissions in the last five years in this age group.

“One in 10 Year 8 children at South Gloucestershire schools might be drinking alcohol every month, and this is generally drunk at home with their parents’ permission.

“Nearly a third of Year 10 children obtained alcohol from their friends, from someone else buying it for them or they managed to obtain it from a licensed premise.”

Board members approved an alcohol strategy to be launched in November and followed by a more detailed action plan focusing on prevention as well as treatment.

South Gloucestershire Council public health programme lead officer Rosie Closs told a remote meeting that the number of people accessing alcohol treatment was lower than the rest of England - six per cent for South Gloucestershire compared with 18 per cent nationally.

She said: “We know, though, that when people do get into treatment in South Gloucestershire they do very well. We had three-quarters of alcohol-only clients exiting treatment in 2017/18 successfully.

“We are in the top tenth for successful treatment, so we know that when we get people in, we can support them, it’s just getting people there in the first place that can be a challenge.

“The vision for the strategy is for us to work together with all of our partners and people that use our services to reduce the harms and risks caused by alcohol to individuals, families, communities and businesses while creating a culture where people can enjoy life safely with or without alcohol.

“That was something that came through from the needs assessment engagement we did, that they didn’t want an abstinence approach to the strategy.

“They wanted it to be recognised that alcohol does have a place for a lot of people and that they didn’t want it to be a finger-wagging ‘alcohol is all bad’.”

About one per cent of adults in the district are thought to be alcoholics.