Hospitals seeing 900 more alcohol related cases a day

A round-up of existing data shows there were 1.1 million admissions in England relating to alcohol in 2009-10 - 879 more per day than five years previously.

Overall, in the five years to 2009-10, there was a 25 per cent rise in the number of people admitted for reasons that were due to drinking.

The report was published by the North West Public Health Observatory at Liverpool John Moores University.

Professor Mark Bellis, a director of the Observatory, said: “Cheap alcohol is no longer a commodity that this country can afford.

“The scale of damage revealed by these profiles shows that alcohol is a problem for everyone in England.

“Even those families not directly affected by alcohol related health problems, violence or abuse still pay towards the billions in taxes for the policing, health services and social support required to tackle this national problem.”

The report showed a wide variation across the country in rates of hospitalisation, with 3,114 admissions for alcohol per 100,000 people in Liverpool, dropping to 850 per 100,000 on the Isle of Wight.

The figures come against a backdrop of increasing numbers of people suffering and dying from chronic liver disease.

Other figures show 7.6 per cent of drinkers are now considered high risk, meaning they are at serious risk of jeopardising their health.

Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: “It is clear that this government needs to do far more to tackle the problems that all communities face in dealing with alcohol harms.

“If the UK wants a healthier relationship with alcohol, we need a different relationship with alcohol retailers and producers.”

Public health minister Anne Milton said: “Harm caused by alcohol is unacceptably high. Solutions to alcohol-related problems lie at every level of government but we also need to change individuals’ attitudes toward alcohol.

“That is why we have banned below-cost alcohol sales and we are tightening licensing laws, including tough action to stop under-age sales.

“This action is supported by the Responsibility Deal that has already seen Britain’s biggest retailers and drinks manufacturers commit to much better information for consumers on alcohol and health.

“Our alcohol strategy which will be published later this year will go further by empowering local areas to tackle these problems.”