The annual Statistics on Alcohol for England 2020 has been released, detailing national data for key alcohol-related indicators and health harms including the latest Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE) data update.
On the key headline figures of hospital admissions, a continued rise in the broad measure brings annual alcohol-related admissions to a new peak of 1.26 million, 8% higher than the previous year. Increases in the rate have been observed every year for over a decade, first passing the million mark in 2010. Alcohol-related episodes now reflect 7.4% of all hospital admissions. See IAS Twittery summary here and Daily Mail story.
Based on the narrow measure (where the main reason for admission to hospital was attributable to alcohol), as introduced in 2014 and reportedly more sensitive to changes, a new peak of 358,000 was recorded in 2018/19, up from 337,870 the previous year. In contrast, alcohol-specific admissions for under-18s have been falling every year for the past decade, with a rate of 31.6 (per 100,000) for 2018/19. Also counter to the adult trend, admissions for girls (37.5 per 100,000) were significantly higher than for boys (25.9 per 100,000).
The continued rise in alcohol-related harms likely reflects a long term trend in rising consumption until 2004, after which significant declines in children and young people's drinking began. However, drinking levels amongst older adults and heavier drinkers have remained significant cause for concern, with 47% of alcohol-related admissions aged between 55 and 74. A study last year found one in five hospital admissions were harmful drinkers. The LAPE release also included new data on treatment figures whilst the national statistics page includes previously released data on adult drinking trends
Commenting on the figures, Chief Executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies Katherine Severi said the data reflected "a national picture of increasing rates of alcohol harm" and called for "a new approach to pricing, marketing and support for those affected by alcohol harm".
Health groups have been seeking to highlight positive early findings from Scotland's minimum unit pricing policy and are calling for an end to real terms duty cuts seen in recent years. The Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) is supporting a Commission on Alcohol Harm, which runs until 17 February, which aims to examine the current evidence on alcohol harm, recent trends in alcohol harm and the changes needed to reduce the harm caused by alcohol.
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