Alcohol Policy UK

Lansley calls for more supermarket action; Health campaign cuts under spotlight

Lansley wants supermarket action on 'front of store' promotions

The Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, has written to supermarkets to re-iterate requests that supermarkets pledge to remove alcohol promotions from front of stores, reports The Telegraph.

Department of Health (DoH) officials said Ministers were frustrated that more supermarkets had not made further commitments, with only Asda applying discretion to the location of alcohol promotions. In the letter, Lansley called on the supermarkets to "do more", requesting "all major alcohol retailers' full participation in this effort".

Earlier this year Alcohol Concern realeasd a report calling for separate alcohol aisles in supermarkets. The report claimed abundant alcohol displays were normalising alcohol as an everyday commodity, reducing recognition of it as a potentially harmful drug.

Health campaign spending cuts under fire

The Guardian has claimed the Health Secretary has been forced into a u-turn over his decision to cut DoH communications campaigns. Following the cuts to marketing spend, a DoH report found the number of calls to FRANK had fallen by 22% and visits to the Smokefree website had fallen by 50%. The number of people joining the government's Change4Life website, which is set to take on a greater remit for alcohol messaging, was down 80%.

A BBC report said the government will now spend £44m on four campaigns in England. £15m is being released to fund Smokefree, £14m for Change4Life, £11m for advertising issues affecting older people, and £4m for targeting improvements to the lives of young people.

The news follows the recent release of the DoH's social marketing strategy 'Changing Behaviour, Improving Outcomes'. In reference to alcohol, the strategy states:

"...the alcohol health harms messaging will be brought more fully under the Change4Life umbrella, embracing not only calorific content of alcohol but also the wider health harms of alcohol. As part of this, we will expand our partnership engagement strategy to include the relevant NGOs, Drinkaware and, if they are willing, the alcohol manufacturers and retailers."

"There are messages and materials relating to drinking above guidelines that will need to be provided outside of the Change4Life campaign. As well as working with Drinkaware and others, we will set aside a portion of resources to develop alcohol-specific messaging within the young people’s strand and messaging around the impact of drinking above guidelines upon common health conditions, as part of the older people strand."

Details of the Responsibility Deal, aimed at encouraging the industry to do more to reduce health harms, can be found here.

Statistics on Alcohol, England 2011: Alcohol-related admissions pass 1 million mark

The upward trend of alcohol-related hospital admissions passed 1 million per year in 2010, official figures show. The newly released Statistics on Alcohol: England, 2011 report states:

'In 2009/10 there were around 1,057,000 admissions related to alcohol consumption where an alcohol-related disease, injury or condition was the primary reason for hospital admission or a secondary diagnosis. This is a 12% increase on the 2008/09 figure, where there were 945,500 such admissions and over double the number in 2002/03 when there were around 510,800 admissions.'

Responding to the figures, Alcohol Concern's Don Shenker warned of a continued rise in admissions, speaking out on "government's ongoing failure to tackle the root causes of alcohol misuse". Earlier this year Alcohol Concern projected alcohol admissions would hit 1.5 million by 2015 if further investment in alcohol is not prioritised. Shenker called for minimum pricing, improved treatment and a more radical licensing overhaul.

However the report highlights many areas of alcohol consumption as falling, including an overall decline in weekly consumption and fewer people binge drinking. Within alcohol policy debates industry figures have continued to highlight falling consumption since 2004. According to the Independent, David Poley of the Portman Group said the figures proved that reducing consumption was not the answer to addressing alcohol-related harm. However a clear understanding of the exact relationship and time lag between consumption changes and admissions appears unclear. 

Some further key facts from the report include:

• In England, in 2009, 69 per cent of men and 55 per cent of women (aged 16 and over) reported drinking an alcoholic drink on at least one day in the week.
• 10 per cent of men and 6 per cent of women reported drinking on every day in the previous week.
• There has been an increase from 54 per cent in 1997 to 75 per cent in 2009 in the percentage of people in Great Britain who had heard of daily drinking limits
• In 2007, 33% of men and 16% of women (24% of adults) were classified as hazardous drinkers. This includes 6% of men and 2% of women estimated to be harmful ['higher risk'] drinkers. 
• Among adults aged 16 to 74, 9% of men and 4% of women showed some signs of alcohol dependence.
• In 2009, there were 6,584 deaths directly related to alcohol. This is a 3% decrease on the 2008 figure, but an increase of 20% on the 2001 figure.
• Total alcohol consumption has decreased by 39% from 733 millilitres of alcohol per person per week in 2001/02 to 446 ml per person per week in 2009.  (The report explains that this reduction is mainly due to a 45% decrease in the volume of beer purchases from 623 ml to 342 ml per person per week over the same period).
• It is estimated that the cost of alcohol-related harm to the NHS in England is £2.7 billion in 2006/07 prices.

See reports from the BBC, The Guardian and The Telegraph.

Local and national alcohol-related data can be accessed from the Local Alcohol Profiles for England.

NICE alcohol pathways & implemetation tools available

NICE have released an alcohol pathways resource supporting key guidance on alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use released earlier this year. The resources aim to assist commissioners, strategic leads and other professionals in the field to understand and apply NICE alcohol guidance.

Also available are:

• Slide sets that contain the key messages from NICE guidance and can be tailored for local presentations
• Learning resources including training plans and slide sets
• Self assessment tools for commissioners and organisations to measure local delivery of NICE alcohol guidance
• Costing report and tool to support assessment of cost implications and savings from implementing the guidance
• Information for patients and the public on the various NICE alcohol guidance

See the Alcohol Learning Centre for further alcohol-related guidance and resources.

'MyDrinkaware' online alcohol resource; alcohol and calorie link overlooked

Drinkaware, the industry funded alcohol awareness charity, has developed a new resource MyDrinkaware. According to a press release it is designed to:

"...help consumers better understand the effects of drinking alcohol on their health and all-round wellbeing, – an easy-to-use online unit calculator and drink diary. The tool provides personalised feedback on risk levels based on consumers’ alcohol consumption and shows data in units, calories and spend. For instance, the tool equates alcohol intake into 'burger’ equivalents – with a pint of 4% beer or two double gin and tonics comparable to around one burger. MyDrinkaware also lets people set spending and lifestyle goals and gives tips on how to reach these."

The resource offers another option for those wanting to use online alcohol resources - NHS choices also has a range alcohol tools and resources whilst DownYourDrink is based on the validated AUDIT screening tool.

The MyDrinkaware launch was supported by findings from a Drinkaware survey that found most Brits had a 'blind-spot' for alcohol when it came to losing weight or saving money. Based on a survey of 2,000 people, 'while almost a third (30%) of people plan to monitor their calorie intake over the next month, only one in ten (11%) are thinking about tracking the amount of alcohol they drink.' See reports from The Metro and The Mirror.

News & updates May 2011: SNP victory puts minimum pricing back on map; Irish barmen aquitted of manslaughter; Mayor backs local banning approach

Minimum pricing is back on the agenda in Scotland following the SNP's election as a majority Government. A report in The Scotsman suggested it could be brought in within a year as the SNP Manifesto identified it as a priority, but also wants to 'build a coalition of support' in Parliament. Whilst the move is backed by health interests and some on trade groups, the the Scotch Whisky Association has warned against the longer term impact.

In Ireland, two barmen have been found not guilty after facing charges of manslaughter for the death of a man they had been serving. In other news, nearly 70,000 crimes a year are directly linked to alcohol, says the Irish Examiner based on statistics from the CSO. A journal piece in Alcohol & Alcoholism asks whether rising alcoholic liver disease in Ireland can be linked to consumption. Cuts to alcohol services have also made the news.

London Mayor Boris Johnson has backed a scheme in Romford targeting nuisance and under-age drinkers in the town centre. According to a London 24 report, teenagers caught attempting to use fake ID will be banned from the town’s pubs and clubs. Those under the influence of alcohol in the streets will be given ‘yellow cards’ and given temporary bans from the town centre.

In other news, industry leaders have opposed the recent proposal of an alcohol minister.

Charities respond to NTA's 'building recovery' consultation

Alcohol Concern have published their response to the recent drug treatment strategy consultation 'Building Recovery in Communities'. The charity surveyed members and service users who expressed both support and caution over elements of the recovery focused drug and alcohol treatment strategy consultation. The response states:

"Respondents gave support for a unified model of care for drugs and alcohol, but cautioned that mixed services for both client groups may prevent and deter many alcohol dependents or heavy drinkers from accessing treatment, adding to greater costs in the long term."

Alcohol Concern continued to call for further investment in alcohol treatment services, stating 6% of people with alcohol dependence are accessing treatment compared to 58% of Problematic Drug Users. 

Balance, the North East's regional alcohol office, published its response here. Other responses came from Westminster Drug Project (WDP), who backed a recovery-orientated approach but warned of stigmatising incapacity benefit claimants with addiction problems. ADFAM called for further recognition of families within the changes.

Latest Findings alcohol research bulletins: NICE guidance reviews; can brief interventions deliver popualtion-wide gains?; NST local alcohol visits

Recent bulletins from the drug and alcohol Bank:

UK evidence-based guidance on alcohol dependence treatment From the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, this impressive assessment of what evaluation research means for alcohol dependence treatment in Britain is distinguished by reviews of the latest literature on the sub-topics it covers; in some cases these starkly reveal the inadequacies of the evidence base.

UK evidence-based guidance on alcohol problem prevention In these UK national guidelines, experts prioritised population-wide changes like price rises and outlet restrictions which affect everyone, independent of the choices they make. But government prefers to target what they see as the troublesome minority, not the responsible majority.

Brief alcohol interventions: can they deliver population-wide health gains? Not so long ago, virtually universal screening of adult primary care patients, followed by a few minutes of advice for risky drinkers, was seen as a major way to reduce the burden of alcohol-related harm. Though still of national importance, ambition in Britain has been scaled back to screening new patients and/or those thought in advance to possibly be at risk. The rethink was driven partly by hotly contested research which seemed to show how difficult it was to implement universal programmes.

Local alcohol-related public health measures in england lack commitment and coherence When the alcohol policy support team of the English Department of Health visited local areas, they found an improving but often muddled and uncoordinated attempt to improve public health through alcohol-related interventions, attempts which often which lacked consistent commitment.

Senior industry figure proposes Government 'alcohol minister' to deliver cohesive alcohol policy

Mark Hunter, chief executive of Britain’s largest brewer Molson Corrs, has suggested an 'alcohol minister' should be considered to lead on a more cohesive alcohol strategy, including further action on price and taxation. Writing in the Morning Advertiser, Hunter criticised elements of current alcohol policy as dis-jointed, citing curbs on the promotion of lower strength products. Current advertising codes mean that brand owners cannot promote reduced strength drinks, which Hunter argues undermines policy to promote these through reduced taxation.

Hunter said he was "baffled" by "policy decisions, such as the 7.2% duty rise on beer, that seem entirely disconnected from the alcohol responsibility and economic growth strategies emerging from Government." He spoke out against a policy that will continue to see the beer and pub trade decline further, depsite its vital role in providing as much as one million jobs:

"... the most dramatic change in UK drinking behaviour over the past 30 years has been the systematic decline of beer from a 70% share of alcohol to 40%, while higher strength drinks have prospered supported by one of the most lenient tax environments, relative to beer, in the world (spirits tax up circa 15% since 1995)."

Hunter says that a fostering a culture of moderation is the key to a successfull alcohol policy, to be achieved through "three clear pillars underpinning a cohesive national alcohol strategy: responsible marketing, education and price & taxation." This should include the inclusion of the cost of production in the below-cost ban, which Hunter says is currently just a ban on ‘below-tax selling’. He also supported proper consultation on the potential for minimum pricing to follow.

Scottish alcohol policy heats up as election approaches; Irish Republic sees first 'liquor liabilty' trial

The Scottish BMA has called upon political parties to outline how they will tackle alcohol misuse in the next Scottish Parliament as the May 5th election looms. In a press release, the BMA released figures from a survey that indicated alcohol was a factor in 5,500 GP attendances in one day. The BMA said it equated to 1.4 million consultations per year at an annual cost to the NHS in excess of £28 million.

A BBC report highlighted that alcohol-related admissions had peaked in 2007/8 and were now trending down. But statistician Professor Sheila Bird, from the Medical Research Council referred to the lag effect for harmful drinking to present as an admission, stating "the numbers of inpatients and deaths now could be a reflection of attitudes to alcohol in the 80s and 90s."

Alcohol policy has again been a key Scottish election issue, with parties continuing to clash over minimum pricing. Alcohol Focus Scotland (AFS) recently released a Manifesto making 8 calls to action for the next Scottish Parliament including pricing measures, sponsorship curbs and improved treatment. The Scottish National Party (SNP) would revive plans for a minimum price if re-elected, but the policy remains largely opposed by the other major parties.

Two barmen from the Irish Republic are due to go on trial for the manslaughter of a British man who died from acute alcohol intoxication, reports the BBC. It is the first case of its kind under the liquor liability laws in Ireland. In England it is an offence to 'knowingly sell or attempt to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk' but is punishable by a fine only.