The health care think tank The Kings Fund this week published the report 'A high Performing NHS? A review of progress 1997-2010', reviewing developments and progress on a number of areas including alcohol misuse. The summary page declares:
"There is no doubt that there has been considerable progress in the last 13 years. The NHS is now high performing in several respects and is delivering more care to more people more quickly."
"However, further progress is needed in a number of areas...The NHS may not be fully prepared for the key challenges that lie ahead, including...
- The public health challenge – obesity and alcohol-related illness have increased since 1997. Unless the progress made in reducing smoking can be matched, these issues will place the NHS under significant pressure in the decades ahead."
The report gives an overall poor verdict on the government's response to alcohol harm, reporting the slow delivery of the two national strategies and trends of rising hospital admissions and consumption. It says rising trends suggest 'more aggressive, cross-departmental action will be needed in the future'.
However the report states that 'there is no sign that the government’s aims to reduce harmful alcohol consumption have been achieved', though appears to be quoting a previous target set in the 2002 White Paper 'The Health of the Nation'- the current strategy has no such aim (rather the broader PSA 25 'reduce the harm from drugs and alcohol). The report also does not mention the current Alcohol Improvement Programme (AIP) and only touches on NI 39.
A more comprehensive assessment of the overall position of alcohol strategy can be found within the Health Select Committee's alcohol report.
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