Alcohol Policy UK

Joseph Rowntree Foundation announce calls for proposals on 'Multiple Exclusion Homelessness'

A collaboration of key agencies have announced a 680K call for proposals to 'ensure that policy and practice responses to multiple exclusion homelessness are better informed by robust evidence.'

The Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) have joined up with the Joespeh Rowntree Foundation, the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), and voluntary sector agencies such as Homeless Link to invite for proposals.

The specific objectives of the research have been announced as:

• to develop a scientifically rigorous account of the relationship between homelessness and other dimensions of 'deep' social exclusion;
• to attain a theoretically-informed understanding of the causes of multiple exclusion homelessness; and
• to shift thinking on multiple exclusion homelessness away from ‘a priori’ organisational categorisations, towards inductive analyses which start from the perspectives of people with relevant first-hand experience.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 4pm on 7 August 2008 though a launch event will be taking place on the 25th of June.

For more information or to book a place on the launch event see here

Three quarters of drinkers do not know units in glass of wine

77% of drinkers do not know that a typical glass of wine contains 3 units, according to a  YouGov survey of 1,429 people. A BBC report said the survey, conducted on behalf of the Department of Health, also found that a third of people did not know their recommended daily limits of 3-4 units per day for a man and 2-3 units per day for a woman. The study also showed that of those surveyed, half drank alcohol at least two to three times per week although 82% reported to knowing what a unit of alcohol was.

The findings come as the Department of Health continues a further campaign to raise unit awareness, although there has been increasing discussion over the effectiveness of such messages.

NHS statitics on alcohol report prompts further calls for action

The NHS this week released the report Statistics on alcohol: England 2008, compiled from a range of previously published alcohol related information and data. Whilst the report may not contain new data, it has re-emphasised the growing cost of alcohol misuse and prompted a range of news and media reports.

A Guardian article quoted a number of leading figures speaking in response, including the Public Health minister, Dawn Primarolo, who referred to the new £6 million campaign launched this week to raise alcohol unit awareness. Spokespersons for the British Liver Trust and drugs charity Turning Point raised concerns over the growing level of harm from alcohol and long waits some face to receive treatment. Professor Ian Gilmore of the Royal College of Physicians continued to call for  further controls on the extent of cheap and readily available alcohol. A report from the Department of Health is expected in July that will inform the government on the impact of price and harm to society, following earlier reports that such moves would be considered if supermarkets and retailers continued to act irresponsibly.

An article in the Times highlighted the growing concern over alcohol misuse by young people, citing the Office for National Statistics data that showed more 13 year olds had drank alcohol than not, whilst also drawing attention to a Home Office audit that had found extensive abuse of voluntary codes of practise by retailers.

Alcohol number 1 threat to employee wellbeing?

A study by Norwich Union Healthcare has found that 77% of employers consider alcohol to be the number one threat to employee wellbeing and that it plays a large role in sickness absence. However only 9% of employees agreed that alcohol was the main threat, although 32% said they had been at work with a hangover and 15% said they had been drunk at work.

This may prompt more organisations including councils to introduce alcohol workplace policies that aim to ensure support and information is available to staff.  The Local Alcohol Strategy Implementation Toolkit encourages local partnerships to increase access to alcohol information at local levels.

Dr Douglas Wright of Norwich Union Healthcare, said

It seems that alcohol and the workplace often do go hand in hand. Sadly, alcohol use is associated with a number of medical conditions which can cause significant morbidity and therefore affect performance and attendance at work, costing UK plc. It's essential that companies have a robust Drug and Alcohol Policy and Procedure to tackle and, where possible, prevent any problems developing. This should include provision for support and, potentially, referral to appropriate facilities.

For an overview see the Institute of Alcohol Studies' factsheet Alcohol in the Workplace

Impact of parents' alcohol dependency on children: new report

Alcohol Concern have jointly produced a report with the Princess Royal Trust for Carers on the impact of parental alcohol dependency on children. The report, titled 'Keeping it in the family' estimates that around one million children currently live with a parent who is alcohol dependent. Looking at a range of research and findings the document considers the serious impact of parental alcohol misuse including long term psychological damage and a range of other pressures put on children, such as being forced into taking the role of carers themselves. It argues that there are not enough services currently available to support young carers or alcohol dependent parents. Don Shenker, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern said:

"Alcohol misuse affects not just the drinker, but the family around them. Many children can just about cope, but for others, their parents’ drinking can lead to feelings of isolation, guilt and poor performance at school. Alcohol policies have barely begun to address this issue and treatment services must now have better support and funding to help both parents and their children recover from alcohol abuse. There’s also a real need to ensure that those working in the wider social care system are equipped to identify cases where parental misuse is affecting the quality of family life and that there are clearer protocols in place to help them co-ordinate support with the alcohol treatment sector where that is appropriate."

For more information or to request a copy of the report, please contact Frank Soodeen at the Alcohol Concern Press Office on 0207 264 0514 or 07866063013, or email franks@alcoholconcern.org.uk

Alcohol Concern report: The extent of local alcohol commissioning?

Alcohol Concern have released The Poor Relation - has the emphasis on 'localism' really improved alcohol commissioning, which sets out the findings from Freedom of Information requests asking PCTs for data on a number of key alcohol spend indicators including:

• Spend on alcohol treatment  for 07/08 (and whether the £15 million Choosing Health money was used locally or not)
• Data on waiting times for accessing alcohol treatment
• The percentage of dependant drinkers in treatment
• Whether trusts had any information about hazardous, harmful and dependant drinkers

Nearly 40% of the trusts were not able to return the questionnaire but the report provides a compelling analysis of the extent of investment into alcohol treatment and of the changes to commissioning structures and the devolving of decisions to local level.  The report points out that 'MoCAM and other Department of Health related guidance have not improved alcohol commissioning or treatment provision at the local level.'  There is still a 'postcode lottery' concerning alcohol treatment, with huge variations in spend and provision across the country.

  The report recommends that:

• the local Pooled Treatment Budgets (for drug treatment) should include the funding of alcohol treatment where required in addition to existing PCT or local authority alcohol spend
• the Department of Health should set an optimum level of access for alcohol treatment, reducing the current national average of 1 in 18 to around 1 in 7
• the Department of Health should consider requiring local commissioners to reduce alcohol treatment waiting times to those for drug treatment, since alcohol treatment data must now be submitted to the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS)
• PCTs should make better cases for investment in alcohol treatment
• Strategic Health Authorities should ensure their local PCTs are meeting local alcohol treatment needs through key agendas and commissioning structures including Standards for Better Health

New report: Binge Drinking and Europe

The Institute of Alcohol Studies have released a new report, Binge Drinking in Europe. The comprehensive document considers the picture of binge drinking in Europe, its impact, and recommendations on how it should be addressed. The report is particularly pertinent when considering regulation on marketing and availability, which the Prime Minister Gordon Brown is set to make further announcements on this year. The report also examines the role of education, health care interventions and the cost effectiveness of various approaches to addressing binge drinking.

Seminar on alcohol licensing and drinking culture

A seminar entitled Alcohol Licensing: café culture or city centre chaos? takes place next month on the 7th May in Enfield to look at the debates around current licensing policy and its impact. The seminar will consider a range of research including the recently released report Implementation of the Licensing Act 2003: A National Survey which closely examines the findings of national research on the impacts of the licensing act. This follows the recent  review of the 2003 licensing act.

The National Survey report broadly supports the review in finding that there has not been a consistent impact across the country, and there has been little significant change for better or for worse. However, the National Survey provides a detailed analysis of the challenges and responses facing local authorities and the policy and cultural context of the changes, as well as providing a range of recommendations.

More details

• Middlesex University Criminology Research Centre seminar series
• Alcohol Licensing: café culture or city centre chaos? Betsy Thom, Professor of Health Policy
• Time: 4.30 - 6pm on May 7th
• Venue: Enfield Campus, Queensway, Enfield EN3 4SA; Broadbent Building, room 52

Manchester Pride research shows high drug and alcohol use levels

A report on a survey conducted at Manchester Pride last year that shows that drug and alcohol use among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people is not as ‘recreational’ as might be expected.  Part of the picture: the need for a national database on drug and alcohol use amongst the lesbian, gay and bisexual population concludes:

This pilot study identified a high level of problematic drug and alcohol use, including dependence, amongst LGB people attending Manchester Pride: almost three-quarters reported binge drinking and around two-thirds had dependency-related drug or alcohol problems

For more info, contact Professor Jane Fountain at the Centre for Ethnicity and Health, University of Central Lancashire, tel:  +44 (0)1772 892 780.

Alcohol-related death rates continue to rise

The alcohol-related death rate in the UK continued to increase in 2006, rising from 12.9 deaths per 100,000 population in 2005 to 13.4 in 2006, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics. Rates almost doubled between 1991 and 2006 (from 6.9 per 100,000 in 1991) while the number of alcohol-related deaths more than doubled from 4,144 in 1991 to 8,758 in 2006.

Alcohol-related death rates by sex, United Kingdom, 1991-2006

The alcohol­-related death rate in the UK continued to increase in 2006, rising from 12.9 deaths per 100,000 population in 2005 to 13.4 in 2006. Rates almost doubled from 6.9 per 100,000 in 1991.

The number of alcohol-related deaths more than doubled from 4,144 in 1991 to 8,758 in 2006. In 2006 the male death rate (18.3 deaths per 100,000 population) was more than twice the rate for females (8.8 deaths per 100,000) and males accounted for two thirds of the total number of deaths. For men, the death rates in all age groups increased between 1991 and 2006. The biggest increase was for men aged 35-54. Rates in this age group more than doubled, from 13.4 to 31.1 deaths per 100,000 over the period. However the highest rates in each year were for men aged 55-74.

Male alcohol-related death rates by age group, United Kingdom, 1991-2006

Source: National Statistics
BBC News: Experts blame the rise on the price and availability of alcohol