Public Health England have released updated data for the Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE), which provides a picture of alcohol-related hospital admissions, mortality and other data across English regions and localities.
Headline national data from the release includes:
- In 2016/17 in England there were 1.14 million hospital admissions where the primary or any secondary reason for admission was linked to alcohol (broad measure).
- The rate of hospital admissions where the main reason for admission was attributed to alcohol (narrow measure) fell by 1.6% in the latest year although the trend remains broadly flat.
- Admissions where the main reason for admission is attributed to alcohol (narrow measure) are highest in the 40 - 64 age group (156,000 admissions in 2016/17).
- Hospital admissions for conditions solely caused by alcohol consumption in the under 18s continued to fall in 2016/17.
- Chronic conditions which are partly but not wholly caused by alcohol are the majority of alcohol-related hospital admissions. Cardiovascular diseases are responsible for the most admissions in this group.
The LAPE profiles are primarily designed to help local areas understand and respond to alcohol-related harms at a local level. PHE have also updated its 'Alcohol: applying all our health' resource detailing examples and interventions to 'help people live healthy lifestyles, make healthy choices and reduce health inequalities'. See here for PHE and NICE guidance on relevant interventions and commissioning approaches.
A brief history of alcohol hospital admissions
In 2014 PHE introduced a new 'narrow' measure of alcohol-related hospital admissions to estimate the number of hospital admissions primarily due to alcohol. PHE state the broad measure indicates 'the full impact of alcohol on hospital admissions and the burden placed on the NHS' whilst the narrow measure 'provides the best indication of trends in alcohol-related hospital admissions'. Neither account for alcohol-related A&E attendances, unless a person ends up 'admitted' to the hospital.
As such, the latest release provides a trend table only for the narrow measure, which suggests a stable trend in adult hospital admissions where alcohol was the primary cause (with small falls and rises in recent years). The broad measure though has continued on an upward trend, with 1.14 million alcohol-related hospital admissions in 2016/17 up on the 1.12 million recorded in 2015/16. In 2009/10 admissions under the broad definition reached over one million for the first time, generating significant media attention but also faced significant opposition from certain industry groups or those highlighting falling trends in consumption. Indeed unpicking the relationship between consumption and lags in hospital admissions or other harm indicators such as alcohol-related deaths remains a complex question.
In recent years, top level alcohol-related admissions appear less news worthy, although nuances including significant falls in young people's admissions, but more concerning indications for older adults are still common items. In 2016/17, there were an estimated 576,000 alcohol-related hospital admissions from cardiovascular disease as the main contributor under the broad measure, though notably other lifestyle factors are also significant contributors in many such cases. As always, in addition to wide variation across age groups, other factors including regional and income variation are significant.
Last year a report detailing results from drinking surveys in 25 local areas was released by PHE aiming to establish the accuracy of existing localised consumption estimates and methodologies. Overall the data shows that despite significant variations between the local authorities sampled, general consistency with estimated prevalence of consumption and key demographics was found. In May an annual National Alcohol Statistics for England is released.
Comments