Alcohol Policy UK

Alcohol Concern call for treatment levy to address services gap

The charity formed by the merger of Alcohol Concern and Alcohol Research UK has called for a 1% increase in alcohol duties to raise £100 million each year which it says if invested in alcohol treatment 'could save the NHS and other public services around £300 million annually.' Briefing paper here [pdf].

The charity says this would equate to just 5p more for an average bottle of wine and 3p more for a pint of beer and would allow treatment budgets to be boosted by 50%. In recent years ongoing cuts to treatment budgets have resulted in a 'crisis' which is likely to be behind falling numbers of people receiving formal help. Concerns that the situation will worsen have also been raised as a new public health funding structure comes into effect in 2020.

Alcohol treatment 'in crisis': hope for the new national strategy?

Earlier this month Alcohol Concern/Alcohol Research UK released a new report “The hardest hit: addressing the crisis in alcohol treatment services”, calling for action to address the many issues arising from funding cuts and other challenges facing the sector.

Subsequently the Government has made the surprise announcement that it will develop a new alcohol strategy, though whether this will include any commitments to further resourcing alcohol services remains to be seen.

Funding for children of alcohol dependent parents: tackling the stigma of 'alcoholism'?

The Department of Health and Social Care has announced further details on Government support for the children of alcohol-dependent parents. The funding follows a pledge earlier this year by the Health Secretary and campaigning by several MPs including a parliamentary group and a Manifesto for 'Children of Alcoholics'. 

The Government release say £6 million will be available to support a package of measures including £4.5 million for an 'innovation fund for local authorities to develop plans that improve outcomes for children of alcohol-dependent parents'. £1 million will go to fund national capacity building by non-governmental organisations whilst '£500,000 to expand national helplines for children with alcoholic parents' which had been previously pledged.

News & updates March 2018: MUP Scotland and Wales, cuts, older people, beer affordability & more

Selected media stories since the February roundup:

Writing in the Scotsman, Alcohol Focus Scotland Chief Executive Alison Douglas, said "The historic introduction of Minimum Unit ­Pricing (MUP) of ­alcohol is just weeks away and will mark a significant turning point in ­Scotland’s damaging relationship with drink. When this life-saving ­policy comes into effect on May 1, the positive impact on the nation’s health will be felt in a matter of months. In the first year alone, minimum pricing could prevent 60 ­alcohol-related deaths, 1,300 hospital admissions and 3,500 crimes, and those health and ­other benefits will build over time.". See APUK's MUP and UK policy analysis here.

News & updates February 2018: pricing, Baclofen, admissions & new UK Hospitality industry body

Selected media stories since the January roundup: 

"Hazardous or harmful" drinkers must get the help they need if minimum unit pricing is introduced, Alcohol Concern Wales has said as the Welsh Government seeks to follow Scotland with a minimum 50p unit price in law. "I think we've known for quite sometime a lot of the alcohol in this country is consumed by those where alcohol is a problem not a pleasure" said, Andrew Misell, director of Alcohol Concern Wales. BBC

Alcohol resources and policy for 2018... and beyond?

Public Health England (PHE) have released a listing page of information and other resources to support commissioners, service providers and others providing alcohol and drug interventions. 

The resource will mainly be of use to those involved in the treatment sector, though includes an updated 'Alcohol: applying all our health' resource to support preventative activities and recent 'why invest?' resource. A full range of NICE alcohol guidance can be found here whilst Alcohol Research UK have a set of links and resources on identifying the evidence base.

Events & dates 2017/2018 & Alcohol Research UK Research Innovation Grants programme

Forthcoming events & dates

On 12 December 2017 an event 'Tackling alcohol and addictions through applied health research' is hosted  by King's College London and NIHR CLAHRC South London. The half-day conference will showcase current work iand provide a platform for PhD students to discuss the challenges of completing a PhD and  present their projects. Further details and registration here.

On Tuesday 23rd January 2018 the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) and Centre for Mental Health is hosting an event on 'Alcohol and mental health'. The event will highlight new research findings and the issues facing alcohol and mental health services. The event is invite only but if you are interested in attending contact Kellie Donaldson (e-mail kdonaldson@ias.org.uk / tel 02072224001.

News & updates November 2017: minimum pricing green light, research in the news, alcohol free wines & more

Selected media stories since the October round-up:

Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland

Big alcohol policy news in November came with the Supreme Court's judgement to allow minimum unit pricing (MUP) in Scotland. As the Guardian put it: The UK supreme court has backed the Scottish government’s plans to introduce a minimum price . After a five-year legal battle against the plans led by the Scotch Whisky Association, the court ruled that minimum pricing was legal on health grounds under EU law. The seven judges unanimously agreed it was “a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”. See our coverage here and an Alcohol Concern explainer here.

News & updates October 2017: soberocracy, hangover-free prosecco, gin pong, rise of the micropub

Selected news and media stories since the September roundup:

We are witnessing the rise of a 'soberocracy' suggested the Telegraph at the start of Macmillan Cancer Support's 'Go Sober for October' initiative, whose popularity, and that of Alcohol Concern's 'Dry January', make 'the seemingly ingrained British belief that nights out and nights in both require alcohol [look] increasingly anachronistic'.

News & updates September 2017: Gin trends, stealth drinking, millennials, draft wine, pubs

Selected news and media stories since the August roundup:

A survey by Evenbrite says millennials consume 'just five units' of alcohol each week, reported Mailonline. Some 90 per cent see getting drunk as 'uncool' and a quarter believe it is 'pathetic' and 'embarrassing' when someone has had too much.

Hospital admissions linked to liver damage have doubled in a decade, according to new figures which also show that people from Blackpool are nearly eight times as likely to die from liver disease as those from Norfolk, reported the Telegraph.