Alcohol Policy UK

Ringfencing for public health funding on the agenda

From Health Service Journal (full story for subscribers only):

Public health minister Caroline Flint has hinted that the government may consider 'ringfencing' funds for specific public health initiatives. Tackled on the issue by a delegate at the Association of Directors of Public Health's annual conference, Ms Flint said she recognised that there were cases where securing money for specific programmes could be effective, in 'fragile areas' in need of protection.

In a speech to the conference last week Ms Flint said the last year had been 'extremely difficult' but that reorganisation was necessary to 'come out the other side somewhere better'. Telford and Wrekin primary care trust director of health improvement Catherine Woodward asked if the government would consider earmarking money for specific public health initiatives. 'Personally I think in order to deliver the step change we are all after, a programme would need ringfencing - and proper ringfencing, not just indicative budgets,' said Ms Woodward.

Ms Flint told the conference that as a Home Office minister she had secured ringfenced funds to tackle drug abuse and admitted there were cases when directing money for specific programmes could be effective. 'It is about value for money and whether it works or not… there are certainly fragile areas that need a lot of protection'.

She said that the public health professionals and government had to work together to expose challenges and question them. 'We continue to have discussions about resources in this area and do the best we can,' she added.

This comes at a time when many fear that the new £15M for alcohol (see previous post) will be diverted into propping up PCTs' bottom line - and not be spent on alcohol initiatives at all.  So, here is a challenge to expose!

 

Drinkaware Trust appointed

Debra Shipley has been selected as the new Drinkaware Trust Chair.  Debra was formerly Member of Parliament for Stourbridge having stood down at the 2005 election.  Shipley is best known for gaining wide support for child protection issues, culminating in the Protection of Children Act 1999.  She has also campaigned on children’s issues including TV advertising and food.

She said: “I am delighted to have been chosen to chair The Drinkaware Trust and am very excited by the opportunity we have in this unique partnership.  “I believe that the challenge of reducing harm caused by alcohol misuse is one of the key issues facing today’s society.  It impacts on individuals, families and communities.  I believe that the challenge of reducing harm caused by alcohol misuse is one of the key issues facing today’s society.  Drinkaware will campaign to increase awareness of harm caused by misuse of alcohol, to challenge attitudes and to improve behaviour.“  Morning Advertiser

At time of writing the Drinkaware Trust website isn't working, but we understand it should be ready soon.  See also previous posts here and here.

Christmas alcohol campaigns 12/12/06

• London Underground (LU) and British Transport Police (BTP) officially launched its annual Christmas alcohol safety campaign yesterday.  One of the safest and most reliable ways to get home after festive celebrations is to go by Tube. However, last year, there were two deaths and 394 injuries related to drink across the Tube network during the festive season.  Posters displaying the following message will be in stations and on trains across the Tube network: "Be careful after a few drinks. Last year: 394 injuries, 2 fatalities. Please be careful."  Transport for London

TFL has also produced a leaflet Travel information for the Festive Season

 

• Tyneside: Yesterday also saw the launch of Alcohol Awareness Week, which is running under the slogan How Much is Too Much? As the Christmas party season gets under way, young people in South Tyneside and Gateshead are being encouraged to take positive steps towards understanding safe drinking levels. The campaign is aimed at helping under-25s make informed choices about their alcohol use through access to accurate and balanced information.

Ruth McKeown, South Tyneside's director of public health, said: "Christmas is a time when people like to enjoy themselves by having a drink. "This campaign focuses on the importance of celebrating sensibly as drinking too much can have serious consequences, both for health and socially in terms of crime and disorder." Gateshead and South Tyneside Primary Care Trusts (PCT) have worked in partnership with A-level health and social care students from Lord Lawson of Beamish School, Birtley, to develop special local posters. They considered the alcohol reduction messages and came up with various themes, which were then developed by the PCT's graphics service. The pupils chose the final poster for the campaign, which will be supported by national resource materials.  South Tyneside Today

Has DH guidance on sensible drinking changed? New messages suggest an increase

Health Challenge England outlines how the Department of Health will take forward its Choosing Health agenda.  For alcohol, the document talks about DH's work with the alcohol industry on the Producers' Fund (ie the Drinkaware Trust), labelling (see below) and campaigns to promote sensible drinking.

The following format for drinks labels has gone into market research testing:

• Standardised unit icon
• Chief Medical Officer Recommends/Dept of Health recommends men should not regularly drink more than three to four units a day and women should not regularly drink more than two to three units a day (and, in order to put this information into context for the consumer, showing the relationship against these recommended daily guidelines to the unit content of the product/bottle)
• Additional health message
• Drinkaware website address

Tony Goodall, Alcohol Strategy Lead for Leeds, points out that this message on recommended limits - which is also found in the new Know Your Limits materials - is a change from the old message, which also pushed drink free days.  He says:

There is no longer any mention of drink free days – so my assumption is that they are saying the weekly guidelines would be 21 and 28 units respectively – rather than the accepted 14 and 21.  This represents a 50% increase for women!!  This is certainly a simpler message – but is it really the one that we should be promoting??  Has there been agreement from the health community – or is this what the drinks industry is happy with??

Info on receommended limits from the Institute of Alcohol Studies factsheet What is Problem Drinking?

Until 1995, the recommended “sensible limits” of regular consumption were no more than 21 units of alcohol per week for men and no more than 14 units per week for women. There was also guidance on hazardous and definitely harmful levels of consumption. (1 unit being 1 standard drink i.e. 1/2 pint ordinary strength beer; a single measure of spirits; a standard glass of wine)

In December 1995, following a Government review of the “sensible drinking” message, the guidance was changed from weekly to daily limits - no more than 3-4 units per day for men, and no more than 2-3 units per day for women, with the qualification that regular consumption of 4 units a day for men and 3 units for women was not recommended on health grounds.

That qualification is missing from the new message.  Perhaps Tony Goodall is right.

Alcohol in the news 8/12/06

• Boozers caught drinking on the streets of Blackpool could find themselves barred from off-licences across the town.  It comes as part of a new scheme aimed at getting off-licence bosses to work together to help police stamp out drinking on the streets.  Under the Off-Licence Forum, launched on Wednesday, shop owners and managers selling booze are being encouraged not to serve known street drinkers.  As part of the initiative, the first in the UK, the business people have already been handed pictures of 12 serial boozers police are aiming to get off the streets and have agreed to attend monthly update meetings.  In the coming months the 12 off-licences signed up to the scheme could also be linked up to the town link system to alert each other and police of the nuisance customers.  Police community support officer, Peter Rae, said: "We're delighted with the response we've had, the 12 stores we've contacted have been as keen as mustard to get involved."  This is Lancashire

• Convictions are less likely in rape cases involving alcohol despite recent legislation designed to the contrary, new research contends.  Ahead of the Christmas party season, researchers from King's College London say that juries are more lenient towards defendants in rape cases involving alcohol because it is easier to prove consent was given.  In a move to make defendants more accountable the 2003 Sexual Offences Act resulted in the prosecution needing to prove the defendant lacked reasonable belief that consent had been given, rather than the previous wording of 'honestly believing he had received consent'.  But test juries in simulated trials involved in today's study said that it was reasonable for a man to deem silence as consent, even if this silence was a result of alcohol intoxication.  Other findings of the research commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council are that women are still deemed partially responsible even if they are rendered involuntarily drunk by accepting alcohol, while the prosecution must also prove that defendants specifically intended to rape someone by spiking their drinks.   inthenews.co.uk

• Shepherd Neame chief executive Jonathan Neame has called for better regulations and a code of conduct to end "idiotic" supermarket drink promotions.  Speaking at the Community Pubs Inquiry, Neame said: "I find it surprising - and many in the trade find it galling - that the pub trade has come forward a quantum leap in recent years and you will never see an advert in a local paper which says come to my pub and get two drinks for the price of one but every day you see supermarket ads saying exactly that.  Surely they have to have a code of conduct that is commensurate with the on-trade.  The mindset of today's youth is you do not go to the pub if you want to get blattered - you go to the off-trade.   Morning Advertiser

• Takeaways could be forced to supply and empty bins outside their premises under new rubbish controls. Promotional flyers which end up littering the streets of the borough's towns and beaches are also being targeted under proposals by West Norfolk Council – which is considering charging individuals and companies for permission to distribute them.  Under powers given to them by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, the authority is considering implementing Street Litter Control Notices on takeaway shop owners and Controls on the Distribution of Free Printed Material, to cover the main commercial areas of Lynn, Downham, Hunstanton and Hunstanton promenade.  Traders, parish and town councils, ward members and bodies representing commercial and tourism interests will be consulted on the new powers, which, if exercised, are expected to come into force by the end of March. Kings Lynn Today

• Hundreds of pupils in the East Midlands have been suspended or expelled from school because of drink or drugs, the BBC has learned.  Figures obtained using the Freedom of Information Act showed 775 pupils were excluded for drink or drugs in the year 2005/06, with 48 permanent exclusions.  The punishments were for those caught with or selling drugs or alcohol.BBC News

 

Alcohol harm reduction campaigns 8/12/06

• The Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA) is urging young people to log on to www.up-2-you.net, the health website, and use the information in the alcohol section, to compete for some great prizes.  This site is packed with information on health topics including smoking, passive smoking, drugs and mental health, and now incorporates a new section on alcohol, which has been developed in response to current concerns about underage drinking.

Victoria Creasy, Senior Manager for Public Health at the HPA, said: “The aim of the site is to provide the facts about a number of health topics for young people so they will be equipped with the right information to make decisions about issues that could have a major impact on their health. The new alcohol section has been developed in response to the current concerns about underage drinking, as research shows, the average age for young people to have their first drink in Northern Ireland is 11 years."  HPA

• West Lothian Drug Action Team (DAT) is launching a new alcohol health promotion resource targeting men. The resource, "The Adventures of Beerhead" was developed in partnership with West Lothian Drug & Alcohol Service, NHS Lothian and 360 Degrees Communications.  The excessive consumption of alcohol is a key priority for West Lothian DAT as an increase in binge drinking, particularly amongst men, has been seen in West Lothian and throughout Scotland on the whole.

Hilary Smith, Research & Development Officer, West Lothian DAT commented: “Statistics indicate that 1 in 3 men exceed weekly recommended guidelines for alcohol consumption. We know that young people are starting to drink at an earlier age and 16 – 24 year olds are the most likely to drink heavily. West Lothian DAT is keen to promote a responsible attitude towards drinking and this resource will target young men and provide them with factual information and advice relating to alcohol.”  Alcohol Focus Scotland

• Lancashire: Partygoers are being urged to control their drinking through the festive period as part of an operation to curb alcohol-related crime.  The countywide crackdown on Christmas crime – codenamed Operation Shepherd – has been launched to focus on assaults, drink driving and domestic violence. Police will be working with local authorities and Trading Standards to target individuals and premises that sell alcohol to underage people.  Test purchasing operations are planned throughout December.  Lancashire Evening Post

• Thousands of lollipops are to be given out to drinkers in Witney, Carterton and Chipping Norton in a bid to stop fights.  A total of 5,000 lollies will be handed out to revellers by door staff of 60 premises on the Friday and Saturday nights before Christmas.  It is thought that the sugar rush bought on by the lollipops will calm people down.  The West Oxfordshire Community Safety Partnership - the police, the district and county councils, the magistrates, probation and youth offending services, housing trusts and primary health care trusts - have organised and funded the scheme, which will cost £1,175.Oxford Mail

• Emergency services in Nuneaton have joined forces to target "mature" motorists who gamble on drinking and driving over Christmas.  Police say it is men in the 35-50 age bracket who tend to give a positive breath test following a collision.  Nuneaton's Newtown Road fire station was the venue for the launch of a campaign aimed at getting men in this age group to act responsibly this Christmas.  Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, the police and the county's Road Safety Unit have launched a joint appeal. 

Maria Smedley, community fire safety manager, said: "The impact of alcohol is regularly witnessed by our firefighters, but the most catastrophic effect is when someone is seriously injured or killed in an accident on the roads." A series of posters, beer mats and other promotional material will be distributed to pubs, clubs and bars around the area. icCoventry

 

Tackling young people's drinking pt79

• Students at the University of Bath are being given advice on safe drinking in the run up to Christmas.  The What's in it? campaign run by the students' union asks students: "Are the units creeping up on you?"  Information on how many units are in different drinks will be distributed on beer mats, posters, water bottles, flyers and on plasma screens.  The aim is to give students information about how to enjoy drinking responsibly allowing them to make informed choices.  BBC News

• Scotland: Police have set-up a special cinema to entertain bored youths in a bid to steer them away from underage drinking.  PC Don MacKinnon, who has spearheaded the Kirkliston initiative, said: "There has been a problem in the parks with kids hanging around and drinking. What we did was find out what would help to get them off street corners. They said they wanted a cinema, but obviously our funding couldn't stretch to that, so we came up with the next best thing."  Equipment worth £3000 was purchased to set up a temporary cinema in Kirkliston church hall with the first screening, Pirates of the Caribbean, on Saturday night.  Scotsman Better not tell Mark Kermode about this choice of movie

• During a four-month crackdown by police, more than 1,000 bottles and cans were confiscated and 23 people arrested for alcohol-related offences.  Operation Maiden ran from July to October with the aim of tackling alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.  Police said the results had been "staggering". Chief Inspector Mark Mulcahy said: "There was a clear link between young people drinking and subsequent instances of violence, criminal damage and anti-social behaviour during the summer months and in particular during school holidays.  "We decided to set the operation up to tackle such incidents and enforce the legislation which allows us to confiscate alcohol."  Yorkshire Post

Alcohol in the news 4/12/06

• York: An alcohol-free zone is set to be created in Copmanthorpe to curb boozing youths and antisocial behaviour.  City of York Council is proposing to introduce alcohol exclusion zones in the village and also a part of York city centre, near the Minster.  The council is looking to make the parish of Copmanthorpe and the Boer War Memorial Gardens, off Duncombe Place, areas where drinking alcohol is forbidden.  In both cases, the council is responding to feedback from members of the public who have experienced or witnessed alcohol-related nuisance, annoyance or disorder in these areas.  York Press

• An online debate has been launched to give people the chance to air their views on binge drinking. The East Midlands Alcohol Network – a coalition of health authorities, councils and voluntary groups – has set up The Drink Debate to find potential solutions to alcohol-related harm.  Stamford Today

• Bolton: Police have unveiled their latest weapon in the fight against anti-social behaviour . . . lollipops.  Officers hope that handing out lollies to late-night drinkers in the run-up to Christmas and the New Year will have crime licked and will curb drunken clashes at closing time.  Police and nightclub doorman will hand out more than 30,000 lollipops. It is hoped the idea will help police and security staff form a positive relationship with partygoers, pacify drunken behaviour and stop rowdiness.  This is Lancashire

• A draft Government Order outlining proposals to shake-up Northern Ireland's licensing hours, including extending pub opening until 2am, have been published for public comment.  Social Development minister David Hanson released the draft Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) (NI) Order 2007 - which will introduce stronger enforcement powers for the police, and a one-hour extension of opening hours.  Announcing details of the Order - drafted following earlier public consultation - he said: "The proposed Order will give police the power to temporarily close disorderly premises, and the courts power to impose penalty points for offences.  "Later opening to 2am will be available to licensed premises entitled under existing law to open to 1am and to registered clubs.  "However, I have decided there will be no change generally to Sunday opening, nor will there be any change to opening hours for off-licensed premises."  Belfast Telegraph;  Details of the Order

• Scotland: The north-east's largest alcohol support group was launched on Friday by Deputy Health Minister Lewis Macdonald.  Albyn House Association and Alcohol Advisory and Counselling Services are specialist charities and have now merged to form Alcohol Support Ltd.  The new group provides confidential support to children and adults who are experiencing problems as a result of alcohol abuse.   It also offers counselling in schools and health centres.  BBC News

• The massive impact of alcohol on crime in Tayside has been outlined by a senior police chief.  Assistant Chief Constable Ian MacLeod stated alcohol is a factor in the vast majority of domestic crimes and plays a huge part in anti-social behaviour and assaults.  He told delegates at the Turning the Corner on Alcohol? conference at Perth Concert Hall that court cases and custodies cost the criminal justice system £276 million a year, part of a “staggering” £1.1 billion hit to the Scottish economy from alcohol misuse.  Evening Telegraph

• Many young Scots regularly wake up unable to remember how much they drank the night before, a survey has claimed.  The Scottish Executive poll of 1,000 Scots found 55% of 18 to 24-year-olds fell into this category compared with 27% of all adults questioned.  Almost a third of the respondents said they have chosen to drink when they did not want to rather than decline.  BBC News