Teesside alcohol support service calls for more action on problem drinking
A letter has been sent to the Government
A Teesside drug and alcohol support service is calling for the Government to do more action to tackle problem drinking.
34 health leaders have signed a letter saying the plans "aren't sufficient to address the scale and complexity of harm" and "ambitious" measures needed.
One of those is 'With You' in Redcar and Cleveland, which is part of the Thrive Partnership.
Rosie Parrish, a social care recovery navigator at the charity, said: "I don't feel that the plan goes far enough. I think that we need to do more to support people that are struggling with alcohol. I see that day in and day out at work. I'm seeing more and more people coming through the doors struggling and I think that we also need to look at the hazardous drinking levels in this country and how we can affect them.
"The alcohol death figures every year are just heartbreaking really. Last year there were 20,000 deaths through alcohol-use, and there were over one million hospitalisations in England last year through alcohol use or related to alcohol, so I would say that it's reaching crisis levels.
"We'd like to see the introduction of the minimum unit pricing. It's already in place in Scotland and Wales but we don't have it in England and that basically means the minimum unit pricing sets the lowest price that an alcoholic drink can be sold for. This would help with some high strength alcohol which can actually sometimes be extremely cheap in supermarkets or off licences.
"We'd also like to see more funding for local alcohol care teams such as ourselves. We work on the frontline every day with people who this is usually affecting, so we see the people that are coming through our doors but we need more funding and support to carry on doing that with the increased levels of people we're seeing."
Rosie says they are there to support and help, even friends and family. She added: "We don't want people to ever have to feel like they're repeating their stories or repeating things over and over again, so if you're wanting to get that support from us we'll make it really smooth and streamlined and not complicated because it's a really hard thing opening up and saying 'I want some help', so we don't want to make that anymore difficult for people."
For more information, visit their website where you can find their contact details or online chat.
Letter to the Government
Academics, medics and charities from around the country have urged ministers to take "ambitious" action to tackle the "scale of the current crisis".
The Government recently set out plans to improve the health of people in England over the next decade.
But in a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, shared with the PA news agency, experts said that the public "want and deserve" more action to tackle the harms.
"As experts from across alcohol policy, health and treatment, we urge you to revisit the current approach to tackling alcohol harm and commit to an ambitious, evidence-based strategy that reflects the scale of the current crisis," the letter states.
"The 10-Year Health Plan for England offered a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shift gear and deliver genuine preventative action that would reverse the rising rates of alcohol-related hospitalisations and deaths we have seen in recent years.
"While the introduction of mandatory alcohol labelling and increased support for community-led schemes is welcome, these measures alone are not sufficient to address the scale and complexity of harm."
The letter has been signed by 34 health leaders from leading health organisations including the Alcohol Health Alliance; the Royal College of Physicians; the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
The 10 Year Health Plan for England, which was published last month, sets out plans to tackle harmful drinking through alcohol labelling, which will include health warning messages.
The document also sets out proposed changes to no and low (NoLo) alcohol products and pledged support for community-led schemes to reduce alcohol harm.
Before the 10 Year Plan was released there was speculation over whether the plan would include a ban on alcohol advertising.
It was also reported that ministers were exploring the possibility of minimum unit pricing (MUP), a policy which sets the lowest price an alcoholic drink can be sold for.
In the new letter, experts have called for a series of measures to tackle alcohol harms, including:
- A call for the introduction of MUP in England, as seen in Scotland and Wales.
- Giving local authorities the power to regulate hours of sale and online deliveries of alcohol.
- For advertising regulations for alcohol to be "aligned" with those for foods high in fat, salt and sugar.
- A change to alcohol tax, linking duties to inflation and ending "cider exceptionalism".
- More funding and support for local alcohol care teams.
The group stresses that "alcohol is not just the problem of a few".
It points out that every year alcohol contributes to more than a million hospital admissions.
And the experts said that across the UK, 30% of the adult population engage in "risky drinking", and almost one in 25 of all new cancers are estimated to be linked to alcohol.
The 10 Year Plan states: "While many people enjoy a drink in moderation, 4% of people drink as much as 30% of alcohol consumed each year."
But it adds that the estimated total "societal cost" of alcohol harm in England was £27.4 billion per year in 2021/22.
The authors conclude: "The public want and deserve action, and we stand ready to work with Government to deliver real progress.
"By taking meaningful and co-ordinated action now, the burden of alcohol harm can fall significantly within the term of this Government, with visible results for families, the NHS, crime, and the economy."
The Department of Health and Social Care said it will continue to consider the most effective interventions to reduce alcohol harms.
A spokesperson said: "As we shift from sickness to prevention through our 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it mandatory for alcoholic drinks to display health warnings and nutritional information.
"To improve drug and alcohol treatment services and recovery support in England, the Government has also provided an additional £310 million in 2025/26, on top of the public health grant."