Alcohol Concern have released an updated version of its alcohol harm map and says total alcohol-related NHS contacts hit almost 10 million in England during 2012-13. Although rising alcohol-related hospital admissions passed one million in 2010, the 10 million figure includes around 2.7 million outpatient and 6.3 million A&E visits.
The alcohol harm map allows the user to click on a region and select a local authority or CCG area to identify various data on local alcohol misuse. This includes population prevalence, hospital costs, alcohol-related deaths and other conditions.
The data is drawn from a number of sources, mainly Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) which also inform the 'attributable fractions' data set used by the Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE). NHS data bods might note 'admissions' are usually only used to describe actual hospital ward admissions, not A&E attendances. Of course describing each admission or visit as a 'contact' as we have done may be less than ideal since most admissions or visits are likely to include multiple staff contacts.
The alcohol harm map was produced in partnership with the pharmaceutical company Lundbeck Ltd, makers of the drug Nalmefene. See here for more information on the alcohol harm map data set, or see the annual Statistics on Alcohol for England 2014 report for the ONS take.
Alcohol numbers - tricky business?
Identifying exact alcohol figures for alcohol to the NHS and wider society is complex territory. £21 billion is often quoted as the total cost, with NHS proportion estimated at £2.7 billion, though this stemmed from a 2004 Cabinet Office analysis. Critics often point out that overall consumption has been falling since 2004, but alcohol-related admissions have continued to rise as a lag effect from previous decades of rising consumption.
Alcohol Concern Chief Executive Jackie Ballard said the NHS was "now facing an intolerable strain from alcohol-related illnesses" and that "we need to ensure adequate alcohol care pathways are prioritised and appropriate services are put in place to ease this burden." She also called for minimum pricing as the "the first and most effective" action the Government can take to prevent alcohol misuse.
See reports from the Telegraph, Daily Mail and Sky. See all Alcohol Policy UK reports relating to stats and figures here.
Comments