Alcohol Policy UK

News and media updates: alcohol-related dementia, school exclusions and brief interventions

Report predicts silent epidemic of alcohol-related dementia approaching

An article in the November British Journal of Psychiatry has warned of a 'silent epidemic' of alcohol-related dementia due to increasing consumption of alcohol in the UK. The report also says the relative price of alcohol has halved since the 1960s whilst in more recent years consumption has doubled. A BBC article can be found here.

A press release by accessibility.com says previous research had shown that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to loss of brain tissue, and that binge drinking is associated with an increased risk of dementia. Given the neurotoxic effects of alcohol - and the seemingly inexorable rise in heavy drinking - the authors of the paper conclude that we are likely to see a surge in cases of alcohol-related dementia in future generations.

Alcohol responsible for school exclusions

A Guardian article has pointed a damning finger at the levels of exclusions and young people's crime related to alcohol, as well as high levels of under age sales. The article is based on findings from a report ordered by Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats and says that in 2006 more than 500,000 under-18s were served alcohol in bars and more than 350,000 bought alcohol in shops. However, the role of alcohol in exclusions is not clear; only joint figures with drug related exclusions are provided.  'According to an analysis of school exclusions placed in the parliamentary library over the summer recess by the Department for Schools, Children and Families, 2,000 pupils were permanently excluded and 40,000 temporarily excluded for drug and alcohol-related incidents during the past four years.'

Brief interventions most efficient when...brief!

A Scottish study has strengthened the argument that extended interventions may not be more effective than simple brief advice and information, a Drug and Alcohol Findings bulletin reports. The study supports indications that providing simple advice and supporting written information is the most effective way to reduce hazardous and harmful drinking levels, as has been earlier suggested by a range of findings and reviews including the Review of the effectiveness of treatment for alcohol problems.

National Audit Office publishes review and recommendations for alcohol health services

The National Audit Office has published a new report Reducing Alcohol Harm: Health services in England for alcohol misuse. The document reviews the existing state of alcohol health provision and makes recommendations on how services should be improved. The report highlights key gaps in the work of PCTs in efficiently reducing alcohol related harm through inconsistent use of tools, data, commissioning and partnership working across the country.

Main findings on the current state of services include:

• A quarter of PCTs had not accurately assessed the alcohol problems in their area
• Many PCTs do not have a strategy for alcohol harm, or a clear picture of their spending on services to address it
• PCTs are often relying on Drug and Alcohol Action Teams (DAATs) to address hazardous and harmful drinking, despite DAATs primarily being focused on providing specialist treatment
• Local provision of specialist services is not based on a good understanding of communities’ needs and there are wide variations between localities
• The new PSA performance indicator on alcohol-related hospital admissions gives PCTs an incentive to address alcohol harm, but it has limitations and carries risks.
• While the majority of PCTs have chosen to include the new alcohol-related performance indicator in their operating plans, or in a Local Area Agreement, more than a third have not
• Regional oversight of the NHS’s response to alcohol misuse has to date been limited. The creation of a new network of Regional Alcohol Offices in autumn 2008 aims to strengthen the influencing role of Strategic Health Authorities and Regional Directors of Public Health and to provide opportunities for sharing best practice between PCTs 

Recommendations in the report are based on the following key issues:

• PCTs’ planning and commissioning of health services to reduce alcohol harm have not been tailored to local needs.
• While national systems collect detailed data on local patterns of alcohol misuse, some PCTs do not use these sources, and few PCTs collect information from their local partners
• The new PSA indicator on alcohol needs to act as an incentive for PCTs to address effectively the alcohol misuse problems in their local area.
• Historically, primary care data have not given a clear picture of alcohol misuse due to confusing ‘codes’ for recording diagnoses and interventions resulting in inconsistent recording of activity in primary care.
• Currently there is no consistency in how the level and cost of alcohol services is recorded locally
• Currently there is no systematic means of promoting good evidence-based practice on alcohol harm across PCTs