MEDIA WATCH

Booze loomed large in the papers' coverage of the NHS this week. But instead of the usual tales of how bingeing Britons are putting a strain on accident and emergency departments, the stories were about how alcoholic refreshments are just the ticket.

Last week we were treated to wide coverage of how the chief doommongers against laws to introduce 24-hour drinking licences had themselves applied for a late licence.

The Royal College of Physicians, London's Evening Standard revealed, had applied to Camden council for an extended licence for its Regent's Park HQ.

A Camden councillor raged that the application from an organisation whose chair said longer licensing hours could only worsen the 'vortex of an epidemic of alcohol misuse' in Britain, was 'a bit much'. The college argued that it needed to meet the demands of its conference clients, who might want to host a champagne breakfast.

The inference being, of course, that the types the college attracts are definitely not the sorts to indulge in alcohol misuse. Media Watch will not say anything, then, about what it hasn't seen going on at late-night conference fixtures populated by top docs and, yes, managers.

Meanwhile, the weekend papers got excited about a campaign by a North Hampshire Hospital cancer ward junior sister to rebuild alcohol's image as medicinally beneficial.

According to The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mirror and others, she has re-introduced the 'booze-trolley' on her ward to help patients boost their appetites for their evening meals, and help them sleep better.

The nurse's move, made possible by charitable donations, was roundly applauded by the press, while yet again, managers elsewhere were booed for using charitable donations to fund art projects to boost patients' well-being. You might make accusations of double-standards.

Media Watch couldn't possibly comment.