Alcohol Policy UK

Best Bar None schemes now total 90

In 2007 an agreement was reached between Greater Manchester Police, the Home Office and BII, the professional body for the licensed retail sector, to develop Best Bar None (BBN) nationally. An independent board has now been formed and is currently chaired by Lord Rupert Redesdale. BII's role in Best Bar None is to help and foster future development of the scheme.

The number of BBN schemes is now running at 90, with the Chief Executive John McNamara further promoting their development, an article in the Morning Advertiser reports. However McNamara was keen to highlight that schemes should not become mandatory, and that the emphasis should be on local schemes adapting a bottom up approach. The article also highlighted the paperwork necessary for BBN participation was also being reduced, one of the concerns highlighted by some local authorities regarding the scheme.

However more serious questions have been raised in the past relating to evaluating the effectiveness of the schemes, which have been suggested in some cases as costly and time consuming. An evaluation of Croydon's BBN scheme showed that while some positive partnership outcomes were apparent, a number of issues meant effectiveness was difficult to demonstrate.

For further information on BBN and examples of schemes across the country see here

To visit the official BBN site see here

New London Mayor bans alcohol on public transport

Boris Johnson, the new mayor for London has banned alcohol on public transport as his first policy announcement since coming into power. The 'ban' will take effect from June the 1st 2008.  The move has caused a number of concerns about how it will be enforced, particularly as the only punishment will be ejection from the transport. 

The new rules on drinking on London's transport will be made by changing London Transport's conditions of carriage, since bringing in the byelaw necessary for legal action such as on the spot fines is expected to take a year. In an article in the Guardian, the British Transport Police are reported to have backed the move although organisations such as transport unions have opposed the move.

London network on street populations from the new EU accession states

James Morris wishes to contact practitioners with an interest in A8/A10 street population issues within London. He writes: some of you I have had contact with already as we are currently halfway through a 6 month pilot in Hammersmith and Fulham (H&F) in which we are working with the Barka foundation (a Polish social inclusion charity) and the Broadway centre. The pilot is a 6 month project that offers reconnection and further support to A8s on the streets of H&F who are vulnerable but not entitled to the support or services in H&F that Barka can offer.  See previous post for details.

I am proposing a network for London so that we can share information, ideas and any good practice relating to A8 street populations. Additionally, current evaluation of the Barka pilot highlights that whilst positive results are being achieved, longer term this project should not operate in isolation as this would potentially create a magnet effect to the borough and therefore a pan-London response could be a more effective approach. A number of authorities have already taken some moves to develop similar work with Barka and it is also within the recommendations of the recently released report 'Beyond Boundaries' to work towards  "...the development of a Europe wide 'Reconnections' programme.  Thereby engaging with migrants and encouraging the most vulnerable to return home to resolve problems in the area where they have greatest social capital." 

Therefore I am inviting you to be part of this network and for any comments or suggestions. I am also proposing a meeting for those interested in working on a pan-London response so once I have an indication of interest I will send out further details.

Contact details: James.Morris@lbhf.gov.uk

London: The highs and lows 2 - audio from the launch

 London: The highs and the lows 2 report from the Greater London Alcohol and Drug Alliance (GLADA),  was launched by the Mayor of London at City Hall on Monday 22nd January.

• This second edition of London: The highs and the lows presents information on alcohol as well as drug use in London (the first edition was drugs only).
• The report contains detailed information on the way that drug and alcohol use in London differs from the UK as a whole, and also on the variations across London.
• It reveals the complexity of the challenges London faces and re-emphasises the necessity for partnership working to reduce the harm caused by drug and alcohol use.
• Working with GLADA, the Mayor is committed to publishing one 'Highs and Lows' report in each Mayoral term and to continuing to support their wider programme of work.

Download the report from here.

Speakers at the launch featured in the audio file below (timings in brackets) were:

• Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone (0.00)
• Outgoing independent Chair of GLADA, John Grieve (9.08)
• Interim Chief Executive for NHS London, Ruth Carnall (13.48; talking about the need to get the balance right for alcohol at 16.55)
• John Grieve again, introduced by Ken Livingstone (22.48)

download the mp3 file (right click the icon), listen now, or subscribe to the Alcohol  Policy UK Podcast by pasting this code into your podcatcher:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/AlcoholPolicyUk

London NHS: PCTs encouraged to spend the new £15M for alcohol on A&E interventions

PCTs across England are to receive £15M for alcohol treatment as recurring revenue from April 2007 (see previous post for official pronouncements) - probably around £90k each.  The London NHS alcohol lead today made a strong case for this money to be spent on A&E based screening and interventions, at a conference attended by PCT commissioners, A&E consultants and alcohol strategy coordinators.

Since this money is coming through Choosing Health, there is the expectation that it will be spent on reducing hazardous and harmful drinking (not on specialist treatment for  dependent drinkers), but ultimately it counts as core funding, and PCTs will decide how it is spent.  It will not be ringfenced.  And that means PCTs might decide not to spend it on alcohol treatment at all.

It was clear from the conference that consultants from many A&E departments in London are keen to develop alcohol screening and interventions - based on models from the Royal Liverpool Hospital and St Mary's Paddington.  This will be welcome news to local alcohol strategy coordinators and local crime reduction partnerships, not to mention public health professionals.  The challenge is to make sure the new money is spent on alcohol initiatives, in the most effective way, at local level.

What happens next?

• Local partnerships and PCTs should develop plans for using the funding to reduce hazarous and harmful drinking - as per Department of Health guidance
• Different tactics may be needed where local commitment to action on alcohol is poor, and/or where PCTs are particularly cash-strapped (contact us for some ideas on tactics)

London Agenda for Action on Alcohol Update published

The London Agenda for Action on Alcohol - Update Report September 2006 has been published by the Greater London Authority.  The report  builds on The London Agenda for Action on Alcohol - Mayor of London’s priorities to reduce alcohol related harm in the capital.

The report was commissioned from Ranzetta Consulting to consider the implications for London of a range of recent developments in policy and action in addressing alcohol related harm, but much of it will be relevant elsewhere. It looks at recent national and regional changes relating to alcohol harm reduction, identifies examples of good practice, and identifies areas for regional action.

Download the London Agenda for Action on Alcohol Update

Alcohol strategy posts, London

New alcohol strategy coordinator posts are currently being advertised for Lewisham and Camden; deadlines are 12th and 14th July respectively.  Suitably qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.  Details here:

• Lewisham
• Camden

Contact us if you would like to have a chat with one of the London coordinators already in post (currently Hammersmith & Fulham, Greenwich, Southwark, Enfield and Brent).

London Ambulance Service and the World Cup

London Ambulance Service (LAS) has put in place an operational plan for the World Cup period that involves a mobile first aid post in Croydon - 'Operation Whitgift' - and 'rapid deployment cells' across London.   A separate initiative is taking place in central London where an outpatient transport ambulance, staffed by a paramedic and two other ambulance-service personnel, is sent only to those patients who are drunk.  All the initiatives are intended to free emergency ambulances to respond to patients who are seriously ill or injured.

LAS dealt with nearly 24,500 alcohol related calls in 2005, at a cost of around £3.8 million. Experience from the Euro 2004 football tournament and the Ashes last year suggests that alcohol related calls during the World Cup period will place an exceptionally heavy demand on the service.

The service is urging Londoners to call 999 only in cases of medical emergency this summer.  The rise in demand for ambulances can mean that people with life-threatening conditions in real need of emergency medical treatment – for example, those suffering a heart attack – might not receive the immediate response they require, putting lives at risk.   

Operation Whitgift
Approximately 35,000 people visit Croydon town centre between the hours of 18.00 and 04.00 in a normal weekend. There are a high number of restaurants, bars and nightclubs in a very small geographical area, the main activity being centered in and around the pedestrianised area of the High Street and George Street.  The call rate in Croydon Town Centre at weekends is notoriously high in a very small footprint, and the majority of calls are alcohol related or minor injuries.  A significant increase is expected during the World Cup and particularly at the times when England fixtures are taking place.

There will be a mobile first aid post in the town centre for the England games and other key matches, with

• 5  First aiders
• 1  Nurse
• 1 Ambulance (PTS) and 1 Response Vehicle (M229)

Rapid Deployment Cells
These cells will be deployed as required to areas of London experiencing extreme volumes of calls paying particular attention to the following factors that were the most common alcohol related workload in Euro 2004:

• Assault/Rape
• Unconscious/passing out
• Potential civil disorder/large fight in progress
  

Resources will be deployed to any declared catastrophic or major incidents, incidents known to have confirmed multiple casualties or incidents involving suspect packages that have been assessed by the Police or Security Services as posing a threat of an actual improvised explosive device.

Each cell will consist of:

• 1 Duty Station Officer
• 2 LAS A&E Ambulances
• 1 LAS PTS blue light vehicle with crew plus a Paramedic or EMT

Further information:
Craig Macpherson at the London Ambulance Service Communications Department on 020 7921 5113.

London briefing on alcohol-harm reduction for the World Cup

The London Alcohol Coordinators' Group has produced a briefing on activities for the World Cup that are planned at borough, pan-London and national level.  It outlines details of the forthcoming AMEC (Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign), DVEC (Domestic Violence Enforcement Campaign), as well information about local plans.

The Group found that getting much of this information was not straightforward, and that networks need to be developed both at borough level and across London.

The Group has also produced a pro forma for applying to the Drink Aware Trust for campaign materials, and an evaluation tool for campaigns.

Resources

• London Alcohol Coordinators' briefing download
• Drink Aware Trust application pro forma download
• Campaign evaluation tool download
• Southwark's draft guidance for licensees download
• World Cup match schedule download
• A guide on how to keep yourself safe when you’re drinking Suzy Lamplugh Trust here
• Dealing with Drunkenness: A guide for staff in pubs and bars Portman Group, via here
  

Evidence base

• Links between big sports events and drinking here (US research)
• Links between big sports events and violence here
• Links between big sports events and domestic violence here and here (New Zealand research)
  

AMEC 4: deadline for funding applications 3rd May

James Morris and Tim Franks of the London Alcohol Coordinators' Group report:
The deadline for fundings bids for AMEC 4 is tomorrow, with between 3 and £10k available per basic command unit (BCU) in London.  The aims as highlighted in the letter sent out to  BCUs are:

• To set the tone of acceptable behaviour before the start of the World Cup
• To maintain pressure on licensees to manage their premises responsibly
• To operate in conjunction with Trading Standards authorities a nationwide test-purchase campaign to assess the progress of the licensed trade towards their goal of eliminating under-age sales
• To embed the new powers contained in the Licensing Act.

The bid advice highlighted that

'There should be some evidence of joint working with CDRP partners to build safer communities, towns and city centres'

- so the Police lead may have been in contact with you.   (Trading standards receive their own funding as part of this for test purchasing).  Borough commanders have nominated a lead officer - contact Government Office for London for details.

AMEC4 will run from 8th May to 8th June.

We can't confirm this is exactly what's happening elsewhere in the country (if you have any info, please get in touch, or leave a comment).

The London Alcohol Coordinators' Group comprises the six local alcohol strategy coordinators in London (based in Hammersmith & Fulham, Lambeth, Greenwich, Southwark, Enfield and Brent).  Contact them via london.coordinators@alcoholpolicy.net