Alcohol Policy UK

Voluntary agreement reached: alcohol drinks labelling by end of 2008

Alcoholic drinks will carry new health warning labels by the end of 2008 under a voluntary agreement between ministers and the drinks industry. The labels will detail alcoholic units and recommended safe drinking levels. Bottles and cans currently have alcohol percentages but only some state what this equals in alcoholic units.

Public health minister Caroline Flint says exactly what the labels will say is not decided but the warnings will not be as strong as for cigarettes. The measure was first proposed three years ago, but both sides have struggled to agree on a format and it is not known how many drinks firms will sign up for the scheme. However, ministers said if the industry does not comply it will introduce legislation.

The proposed warning labels will include the words such as "know your limits" or "drink responsibly" and include details of the amount of units each drink contains.  BBC News

Alcohol job

Alcohol Practice Hub Manager, Alcohol Concern

Alcohol Concern is launching a new project to research and communicate examples of alcohol health promotion and practice in health settings. The Alcohol Practice Hub will enable health professionals and service commissioners to have the evidence and information necessary to develop new initiatives to reduce alcohol harm.

The Alcohol Practice Hub Manager will oversee the project's development, manage the collation and dissemination of practice examples with project staff and develop and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders. You will have a sound understanding of health policy and the NHS structure, knowledge of the principles of research and be able to manage a project budget and staff.

• Closing date 4th June
• Details here

Tackling young people's drinking pt90: Scotland; social marketing

• Concerned residents say Bellsmyre children are getting their hands on alcohol thanks to older teens and even their own mums and dads. Some have even been spotted skipping school to drink during the day. Now worried community groups are calling on shopkeepers to ban the booze to crack down on underage drinking and anti-social behaviour.

Bellsmyre Neighbourhood Forum and Dumbarton North Community Council have sent letters to licensed retailers in their area asking them to stop selling alcohol at 7pm in a bid to stop drink getting into the wrong hands. The letter says: "We would view your participation as a gesture of good will to our community, and assist in alleviating the ongoing problem with underage drinking, hopefully curbing other issues that are akin to this." Dumbarton Reporter

• Friday night in Brodick and it is ‘cool to get drunk’  "Starting our foray into the streets of Brodick in the early hours of the evening, it soon became evident that it was indeed the place to be if you are under a certain age and looking for excitement on a Friday night."  Reporters from the Arran Banner go out on the streets to find out what's what

• Children as young as 13 are aware of different brands of alcohol, with teenagers choosing certain drinks because they are perceived as "cooler" than others. The findings come from early results of the largest UK study into the effect of advertising on underage drinking and have prompted calls for stricter control of the marketing techniques employed by the alcohol industry. Professor Gerard Hastings, director of the Institute for Social Marketing at Stirling University, where the research is being carried out, argued that drinks manufacturers have had "free rein" for too long, with government only "tinkering at the edges" of the problem.

Hastings, who has just published a new book entitled Social Marketing: Why Should The Devil Have All The Best Tunes?, said that public health bodies should use techniques employed in commercialmarketing-such as connecting with audiences and building brands - to successfully get their message across. But he argued that efforts to curb underage drinking were hampered by the number of alcopop-type drinks on the market that could particularly appeal to "young palates".

"Having public health adverts on the telly saying that young people should watch what they are drinking is just farcically inadequate when you have got all these other messages going on directly, but much more important indirectly just by the very existence of these products," he said. In the UK, around £200 million is spent on alcohol advertising every year, with additional promotion and marketing budgets estimated to be more than three times that figure. Advertising is controlled by a combination of self-regulation and legislation. Sunday Herald

Croydon Best Bar None evaluation: lack of evidence of effectivess

Best Bar None (BBN) was developed in Manchester as a response to violence and disorder associated with the night time economy.  It brings together the late night operators and other key agencies on a common platform promoting good practice, rather than a concentration on enforcement.   Since Manchester's success in reducing alcohol-related violence, the Home Office has pushed for the development of BBNs within the areas covered by its Tackling Violent Crime Programme.  An evaluation of Croydon's scheme is sceptical about the effectiveness of BBN in reducing violence and disorder.

Best Bar None Croydon Review reports the following key findings:

• There is a lack of credible evidence to suggest that the implementation of the BBN scheme in Croydon has specifically had an impact on the reduction of crime and disorder in the town centre on its own.

• BBN is a scheme which clearly has benefits for those who choose to implement it, but these benefits are not easily measurable and largely amount to perception rather than evidenced reality.  One of the main benefits appears to be a better dialogue between Police and Licensees.

• It is critical there should be an opportunity to identify and design ‘indicators’ to show that BBN is having a positive effect, this is currently lacking.

• If BBN is to continue both within London and nationally, there is a real need to agree a suitable ‘measuring tool’, which will assess the impact of it and provide credible evidence for those considering introducing it.

• If it is considered appropriate to continue with BBN then any allocation of funds would probably be best linked to a business case involving the contribution of BBN to the reduction of crime and disorder. All the evidence suggests BBN works best when it sits within a comprehensive holistic crime reduction strategy.  It should not be considered a single component solution.

Alcohol strategy debate, House of Commons: what's the future for specialist treatment?

David Burrowes, MP for Enfield Southgate, has secured a Private Member's Debate in the House of Commons Westminster Hall, on 15th May, on the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy (details of timings here; factsheet explaining the House's various sittings here).

This debate comes on the back of his recent Parliamentary Questions about alcohol (and drug) treatment, and a specific query about the alcohol strategy on May 2nd:

Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the review of the (a) alcohol and (b) drugs strategy; and what consultation is taking place in relation to each such strategy.

Mr. Coaker: I have been asked to reply.

The Home Office is leading the cross-Government effort on the development of a new Drug Strategy. The existing, and successful, 10-year strategy runs until March 2008. A consultation document is planned to be issued alongside details of the consultation process in May/June 2007. The intention is to consult interested groups and individuals, including service providers and those affected by drugs—users, families and local communities. Subject to cross-Government agreement, the new strategy is likely to be published in late 2007.

The Home Office and Department of Health are jointly leading a review of the Alcohol Harm Strategy for England 2004 and the development of a new Alcohol Strategy with support from the Department for Education and Skills. A series of detailed discussions have been held with key stakeholders from the health, police, young people's sectors and the alcohol industry to inform the development of the new Alcohol Strategy. The new strategy is due to be launched in summer 2007. A formal consultation is not planned prior to launch, but consultation is likely to be required on implementation of key aspects of the strategy.  Hansard

Coaker's answer about the alcohol strategy certainly ties in with what many colleagues in the alcohol harm reduction field - at least those working at the coalface - say about the lack of consultation for the review process.  It has seemed positively secretive.  Would it not be an idea for the Home Office and DH to talk to the growing band of alcohol strategy coordinators, for example, about how effective or otherwise the national strategy has been at local level, and where the main successes, stumbling blocks and gaps are?

In terms of the new strategy, I hear that the objectives will be around underage drinking, binge drinking and alcohol-related crime.  Perhaps that is why Coaker didn't mention consultation with the treatment sector in his answer. 

Despite ANARP, MOCAM and the Effectiveness Review , the writing seems to be on the wall for specialist alcohol treatment as DH focuses attention on early interventions for hazardous drinkers.  Hence Alcohol Misuse Interventions and the new Commissioning framework for health and well-being.

We will see what comes out of the debate, but the future of specialist treatment needs careful discussion.  We seem to be a long way from providing reasonable levels of prevention and early intervention, and until that point is reached, the case for more specialist treatment is as strong as ever.

Alcohol Policy UK podcast: Alcohol-related stroke - a survivor's story (APUK09)

The relationship between alcohol consumption and the risk of stroke is complicated: moderate drinking reduces the risk of some types of stroke, whilst heavy drinking increases the risk of all types.  The Stroke Association Factsheet: Alcohol and Stroke explains:

Nearly nine out of 10 strokes are ischaemic – caused by blood clots blocking arteries. As with heart attacks, small amounts of alcohol seem to help protect against this type of stroke.

The remaining percentage of strokes are haemorrhagic – bleeding caused by burst blood vessels in or around the brain. Alcohol does not protect against haemorrhagic strokes and even relatively small amounts of alcohol – two or three units per day – can double or treble the risk of having a haemorrhagic stroke.

Recent research has also shown that heavy drinking increases the risk of all types of stroke. A large Scottish study, which followed nearly 6,000 men over a period of 20 years, found that those who drank five or more units per day were twice as likely to die from a stroke compared with those who didn’t drink.

This episode of the Alcohol Policy UK podcast features an interview with Derek Mclean who has written a book, Return Ticket Please about his experiences of surviving an alcohol-related stroke in his 30s.

00.00 Intro, music by Kaimoku

01.13 Interview with Derek Mclean

18.54 contact Derek

20.20 Music by Fall Down Drunk by Summer at Shatter Creek

download the mp3 file (right click on the icon), listen now, or subscribe to the podcast by pasting this code into your podcatcher:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/AlcoholPolicyUk

Choosing Health progress report

The public health white paper, Choosing Health, published in 2004, set out a commitment to reduce health inequalities and better tailor health and care services to meet individual needs. It set out action that individuals and organisations could take to make this a reality. Reducing harm and encouraging sensible drinking was one of six Choosing Health priority areas.

The Department of Health has published a progress report for May 2007, download via here. Original delivery plan here.

Choosing Health and the alcohol strategy for England (AHRSE) have brought ANARP, MOCAM, Alcohol Misuse Interventions, Effectiveness Review of treatment.  However, some of the timeframes for outstanding actions have been revised for the May progress report - notably, the SIPS programme of research on screening and brief interventions is 'on track' for implementing its (interim) findings from April 08 despite the original commitment to complete the research by July 2007.

The original Choosing Health plan included a commitment to "build on the commitments within the AHRSE through guidance and training to ensure all health professionals are able to identify alcohol problems early".  The May progress report says a two-year undergraduate programme was finished in November 2006.  It does not mention the orginal commitments on:

• undergraduate training modules for nurses
• postgraduate training programmes
• Training Champions

Perhaps this means these plans have been dropped.

Curiously, one commitment that never looked likely in the first place has not been expunged from the progress report.  "We will build on the commitments within AHRSE through developing a programme of improvement.........These initiatives will be supported, from April 2006, through additional funding provided through the Pooled Treatment Budget for Substance Misuse".  What was that all about then?

Managing alcohol in the night time economy: North Herts partnership working; Dorset Safe & Sound awards

• Alcohol related violent crime in North Herts has been reduced, say Herts police. Chief Insp David Partridge described the drop in alcohol related violent crime as "encouraging". He said: "The key to the turn-around in offending was partnership working." Mr Partridge continued: "Alcohol related violence is not just a police issue, it effects all of the emergency services and the community at large. "This is an excellent example of how working with local authorities we have reduced alcohol related violence," he said.

By July, 2006, drink related serious violent crime was up by 54 offences on the previous year, but this year there were 42 fewer crimes. One reason, too, for the reduction was two operations - Operation Strike and Operation Sheen - which enhanced patrols at peak times, which were identified as being Fridays and Saturdays from 11pm to 3am. "We identified some prime hot-spots and targeted offenders for drink related assaults, criminal damage and public order offences," said Mr Partridge.  Royston Crow

• Police raised their glasses to Weymouth's pubs and clubs and thanked them for helping to make the night-time economy safer. And officers said they were staggered by the response to a public vote in which drinkers got to nominate their pub of the year. Organisers of the Drink Safe Street Safe initiative, which presents the Safe and Sound Awards, hope this will encourage other venues to sign up to the scheme. 

The People's Choice award was presented along with the annual gold, silver and bronze accreditations which recognise licensees' commitment to public safety at a ceremony at the Hotel Rembrandt. PC Mike McCabe said more than 3,500 of the 6,000 voting postcards were returned plus there were over 600 votes on the website for the People's Choice award, which he said was 'phenomenal'.  thisisdorset

Tackling young people's drinking pt89

• Booze has been confiscated from under-age drinkers during a two-day police operation in Whitehaven. Police community support officers carried out Operation Poplar on Friday and Saturday evenings. They visited areas including Castle Park, Mount Pleasant, Rosemary Lane and Hensingham and took booze from children as young as 13.

PCSO David Nixon said the message was that police will not tolerate under-age drinking. “We have a zero tolerance approach. The message is getting home but with the weather getting better, people are going outside in the sun more and drinking,” he said. He said two 14-year-olds told police that they got their alcohol from their parents, while a 13-year-old had to be taken home after drinking too much. “Thirty names of under-18s were taken in the two days, all of who had alcohol with them,” said PCSO Nixon.

A couple of over 18s had drink confiscated and a couple were found to be in breach of their Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO). The details of all the youngsters are updated on the Anti-Social Behaviour Register and some may get letters to their parents or home visits. Further similar operations will be carried out over the coming months and into the school summer holidays.  The Whitehaven News

• Youths in Locking are risking their lives by climbing a school roof at weekends to get to a secret drinking den. Locking Primary School is built around a yard which is hidden from sight, so is an ideal place for children to hide from prying eyes, says headteacher Joanne Jones. She said: "The school caretaker now has to go in on Sundays to clear away left over cans and broken glass from the yard.

"Earlier this month we caught children, aged 11-18, climbing the roof to get into the yard. "Letters were written to their parents and the children were made to hand over their pocket money for the damage done to light fittings in the school hall caused when they walked on the roof. "The danger is that either schoolchildren will fall and cut themselves on broken glass or one of the kids involved might suffer serious injuries, or worse."

Mrs Jones is now in discussions with the village's local action team about paying for anti-vandal paint for the school buildings at a cost of £400. The headteacher has been in regular contact with village bobby PC Adrian Woolacott, who is continuing to investigate the matter, and has stepped up his patrols around the school.  Weston & Somerset Mercury

• Irresponsible parents are complaining that police officers who confiscate alcohol from their children are 'breaching their human rights'. Cheddar police say on numerous occasions it is the parents who buy alcohol for their children, when they should be supporting officers in trying to curb under-age drinking. Sergeant Pete Yensen said the youngest person they had caught with alcohol in the area was just 13 years old and parents should be more supportive of the police. He said: "The best solution to the problem is to educate the youths about the dangers of drinking but if parents are supplying it what are we supposed to do?"

An investigation by the Somerset Mercury also showed that youngsters in the area are boasting about under-age drinking and swapping stories about drunken antics on the internet. One 14-year-old girl from Cheddar listed her favourite drinks as rum, vodka and white wine and said: "I love getting wasted with my mates at the weekend." A 16-year-old boy from Cheddar said: "I get drunk most weekends. It's what keeps me going in this boring place." One 15-year-old from Axbridge wrote: "Only one thing you need to know about me - I love p***ing around and getting p***ed."

Websites are also being used to organise drinking. A 16-year-old youth explained he was moving from Australia to Axbridge and wanted to know where he could meet up with people to drink. Sgt Yensen said: "The latest incident of catching a child with alcohol was just this week. "We have caught them hanging around in the centre of Cheddar, the square in Axbridge and on the main roads in Wedmore. "We aren't necessarily catching them drunk, but the fact they have alcohol on them is very worrying. When we find them we take the bottles off them, but we have had parents complaining about this. One parent admitted they had bought the alcohol for their child and said it was a breach of their human rights that we had taken it away."  Weston & Somerset Mercury

Impact of Licensing Act on alcohol-related assaults: new A&E research

There is no firm evidence that changes in Britain's licensing laws have reduced its heavy drinking culture, a senior government health adviser has said.  Professor Sir George Alberti, an adviser to the Department of Health on accidents and emergencies, said a new study showing that 6,000 fewer people have needed hospital treatment since pub opening hours changed in November 2005 was not conclusive proof that people were consuming less alcohol or that there was less alcohol-related -violence.

"We need more evidence that there has been a change in a heavy drinking culture which continues to concern us," he told the Financial Times.  According to the study, published by Cardiff University's violence research group, there was a 2% drop in the number of people needing treatment for violent injuries last year compared with 2005. The study analysed data from 33 accident and emergency departments across England and Wales.

Professor Jonathan Shepherd, director of the study group, said: "We estimate 364,000 people needed hospital treatment for assaults last year. That is still too many, but it is encouraging to see the trend is downwards and the feared effect of the licensing law change has not materialised."  FT.com

• Violence in England and Wales 2006: An Accident and Emergency Perspective  V Sivarajasingam, S Moore, J P Shepherd - Violence Research Group, Cardiff University