Alcohol Policy UK

Tackling young people's drinking pt95

Mentor UK has announced its 2008 awards scheme - aimed at recognising projects in England, Scotland and Wales that can help prevent children and young people aged 14 or under from misusing alcohol – both now and in their future lives.   Nominations are sought for projects that promote healthy attitudes and behaviours and which help children and young people to avoid the dangers of alcohol misuse.

Awards will be made in the following three categories:

• for work in schools
• for work in the community
• for projects led by young people

Details here

The first month of an alcohol test-purchasing scheme to help curb underage drinking in Strathclyde has recorded a "failure" rate of just 9%. Of 235 test purchases at licensed premises last month as part of the Can't Tell - Don't Sell campaign, only 21 were recorded as failures. The crackdown by Strathclyde Police involves deploying 16-year-olds to licensed premises, where they try to buy alcohol.  The Herald

A scheme to mark alcohol with ultra-violet labels so it can be traced back to retailers is unlikely to be effective in combating under-age drinking, says independent retailers' association NFRN. The scheme is being piloted in Fife, and local MSP Claire Baker is calling for it to be extended to cover the whole of Scotland.

But NFRN president Colin Finch said:

“Underage drinking is becoming a significant problem in the communities that NFRN members serve. As independent and local retailers, members know that underage alcohol consumption can be damaging equally to teenagers and their neighbourhoods.

"As much as the NFRN supports any regulation or legislation that might help in resolving the issue we doubt that the UV marking scheme – as currently piloted in Fife – would be effective at all.

"We have, on numerous occasions, stressed the problem of proxy buying for example, where an adult purchases alcohol and or tobacco and sells or passes these products on to underage consumers.

“Finding a product in the hands of an underage consumer does not guarantee in any way that the same person actually made the purchase. Not to mention that with today's changing lifestyle alcohol may be found in most home refrigerators – without the teenagers actually needing to purchase it.  TalkingRetail.com

Pupils at Middleton Technology School and Queen Anne’s Academy were shown the dangers of underage drinking in a powerful drama by Altru Theatre Company. The ‘fingers burnt’ performance links in with a brand new ‘Responsible Retailer’ scheme which is being piloted in Middleton. The scheme involves local retailers agreeing to challenge young people who look under the age of 21 in a bid to reduce under-age sales and anti-social behaviour. Responsible Retailers will ask for a valid form of ID from anyone who looks under 21 when purchasing alcohol, cigarettes, knives or solvents.  Rochdale online

100k Northern Rock to expand service user-provided services

The North East Regional Alcohol Forum (NERAF) has been awarded £101,601 by Northern Rock Foundation to develop their peer-led support services regionally over the next three years. Based in Sunderland, NERAF is developing a network of support services for problematic drinkers, their families and carers to help people turn their lives around.

NERAF's Sunderland based services include eight support groups, a women’s and carers service, training and a 1-2-1 mentoring service. The award from Northern Rock Foundation will allow NERAF to expand its services in Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle and to other areas of the North East and Cumbria.

See previous post on NERAF's Community Alcohol Misuse Project.

JRF call for proposals:research on the transmission of drinking cultures

The JRF Alcohol Research Committee (ARC) has recently been set up and will be funding research and development in the alcohol field over a three-year period (2007-2009). The ARC’s overall aim is to collect and use evidence to contribute to halting or reversing negative drinking cultures and patterns in the UK in order to reduce problems or harm.

Proposals are sought for research on how drinking cultures are transmitted from one group to another. The key domains that JRF have identified are:

• the family
• teenage peer groups
• geographical locality
• the workplace
• the media

The ARC wish to fund primary research which explores how drinking culture is transmitted through these domains.   A maximum of £200,000 is available under this call for proposals. Closing date 6th November.  Details here.

Shipley ships out and the Drinkaware Trust needs a new chair and trustees

Debra Shipley has this month resigned her post as Chair of the Drinkaware Trust, apparently for personal reasons, and the Trust now seeks "an independent Chair with no professional interest in alcohol". 

Stephen Hogg, one of the original trustees has also left, presumably after moving to the other side of the divide between the industry and everyone else.  He joined as Senior Communications Officer at Centrepoint, but since April has been at the Wine and Spirit Trade Association.  The Trust now seeks one Trustee from an alcohol related background and two lay Trustees.

More info here.

Using Conditional Cautioning to tackle alcohol related crime

Conditional cautioning is an out-of-court disposal where a caution is approved by the CPS and issued by the police with conditions attached. Offenders must be 18+ and have must have admitted their guilt before a conditional caution can be offered.

Conditional Cautions are generally appropriate for relatively low level offences including theft, criminal damage (e.g. graffiti), and some assaults (where the victim’s views would be particularly significant). Each case is treated on its merits. The disposal can be used for offences where alcohol has played a part in offenders’ behaviour.

This briefing paper from the Office for Criminal Justice Reform explains how Conditional Cautions can be used to tackle alcohol-related crime.   Download

One week left to fight for a health target on alcohol

Previously on Alcohol Policy UK:

The Department of Health is consulting on the new framework for setting locally owned priorities across health and social care.    Taking into account responses to the consultation, a set of 40 outcomes with supporting indicators for health and social care will be selected.   The final 40 outcomes chosen will direct Government policy over the next three years.

Alcohol is not included in the 40 proposed outcomes.  We're told that the more submissions about alcohol DH receives, the greater the chance it will be included in the final 40. 

This situation is remarkable: why wasn't alcohol included in the first place, given that it's one of six priorities within Choosing Health, and that DH's own guidance makes a powerful case for prioritising the reduction of alcohol misuse?  Why is such an important matter being decided by some kind of popularity contest?

If you have yet to make a submission to the consultation, and feel lost for words, I'm told a simple 'there should be an outcome for alcohol misuse' would be effective.  This could be elaborated to include reference to these points (adapted from Annex A of DH's Alcohol Misuse Interventions):

• Excessive drinking is a major cause of disease and injury, with only tobacco smoking and high blood pressure as higher risk factors.
• There is a wealth of evidence that brief alcohol interventions are cost effective.
• The number of hazardous or harmful drinkers that need to receive brief interventions for one to reduce their drinking to low risk levels is about 8. This compares favorably with smoking cessation where 20 people need to be treated and 10 if nicotine replacement therapy is included, for one to change their behaviour.
• In other words, alcohol use is a key factor in healthy lifestyle, and we know we can  change drinking behaviour through cost-effective brief intervention.

All the details on the consultation, and how to make a submission are here. Closing date is 27th July.

Health and social care outcomes consulation- let's make the case for including alcohol

The Department of Health is consulting on the new framework for setting locally owned priorities across health and social care.    Taking into account responses to the consultation, a set of 40 outcomes with supporting indicators for health and social care will be selected.   The final 40 outcomes chosen will direct Government policy over the next three years.

The consultation asks for views on whether  the proposed 40 outcomes are the right ones and if any crucial outcomes are missing.    Important lifestyle issues such as smoking and obesity are already included as suggested outcomes.  Alcohol misuse is NOT currently  suggested as one of the 40 outcomes proposed.

This consultation is the only opportunity to input views into the process of deciding which 40 outcomes will direct health and social care Government policy over the next three years.  The consultation also asks for views on proposed supporting indicators for the 40 outcomes.  It is understood that the number of submissions about each outcome area will be an important factor in which outcomes are finally included - so it's vital that as many people as possible make the case for an alcohol outcome.  Many of us have been arguing for an alcohol target for years - this is our chance.

The closing date is 27th July.  Note that the registration function on the DH site only works with Internet Explorer, and not other browsers - you need to register to make a submission.

Further info:

• DH front page to the consultation for an overview and to access the registration page
• The Health and Social Care Outcomes Accountability Framework Explained
• The 40 proposed outcomes (none for alcohol yet)
• The potential indicators (see item 9 for alcohol)
• Other supporting information

AERC funding priorities for 2007 announced

This year the AERC will accept good research or development applications in any area, however, priority will be given to projects relating to the following areas:

• Investigate ways of intervening to reduce hazardous or harmful drinking in universities or other educational establishments with a focus on brief interventions and/or institutional policy. What are the best methods of delivering interventions? What organizational changes have an influence on drinking patterns? Look at protective factors in young people as well as their motivation for risky drinking and different patterns of risk taking behaviour, including combining the use of alcohol with illicit drugs or sexual experimentation.
• Explore and describe drinking within the home and other non-public drinking venues including patterns, attitudes, values, purchasing and influences on family and social life (not just harmful patterns or problem drinking families).
• Investigate the link between drinking, health and crime. Develop different measures of drinking behaviour which better predict the likelihood of future harm, eg alcohol related crime and violence or alcohol dependence.
• Look at the role marketing activities have played in changing peoples’ drinking patterns, particularly binge drinking. Specifically the influence of advertising, new media, new product development, point of sale promotions and price promotions should be examined, both individually and collectively. This work could include qualitative methods and longitudinal as well as cross sectional studies.
• Summarize high-quality evidence relating to effective and cost effective public policy, including taxation, price and availability. Consider all barriers to implementation.

Choosing Health progress report

The public health white paper, Choosing Health, published in 2004, set out a commitment to reduce health inequalities and better tailor health and care services to meet individual needs. It set out action that individuals and organisations could take to make this a reality. Reducing harm and encouraging sensible drinking was one of six Choosing Health priority areas.

The Department of Health has published a progress report for May 2007, download via here. Original delivery plan here.

Choosing Health and the alcohol strategy for England (AHRSE) have brought ANARP, MOCAM, Alcohol Misuse Interventions, Effectiveness Review of treatment.  However, some of the timeframes for outstanding actions have been revised for the May progress report - notably, the SIPS programme of research on screening and brief interventions is 'on track' for implementing its (interim) findings from April 08 despite the original commitment to complete the research by July 2007.

The original Choosing Health plan included a commitment to "build on the commitments within the AHRSE through guidance and training to ensure all health professionals are able to identify alcohol problems early".  The May progress report says a two-year undergraduate programme was finished in November 2006.  It does not mention the orginal commitments on:

• undergraduate training modules for nurses
• postgraduate training programmes
• Training Champions

Perhaps this means these plans have been dropped.

Curiously, one commitment that never looked likely in the first place has not been expunged from the progress report.  "We will build on the commitments within AHRSE through developing a programme of improvement.........These initiatives will be supported, from April 2006, through additional funding provided through the Pooled Treatment Budget for Substance Misuse".  What was that all about then?

The £15M for alcohol interventions: it's in the bank

If you are wondering when your PCT will receive its allocation of new money for alcohol interventions, well, it's already arrived as part of the PCT's general uplift for 2007/08.  As discussed previously, the money is not badged in any way, so unless it has already been assigned to alcohol work, you need to fight for it.

If you'd like some ideas or further information, get in touch.

What is this new money?
How much is each PCT getting?