Alcohol-related hospital admissions in Scotland down

Hospital admissions linked to alcohol have fallen by 10% but people from the poorest parts of Scotland are seven times more likely to be affected, new figures show.

There were 35,124 alcohol-related hospital stays in Scottish hospitals during the last financial year, including 2,109 patients who were admitted to psychiatric wards.

A total of 21,480 patients required acute hospital treatment, down from 24,120 the previous year.

NHS Scotland data shows that people in the most deprived areas were seven times more likely to be admitted for an alcohol-related condition, including drunkenness or poisoning and longer term effects of drinking.

In Scotland’s most-deprived postcodes, 968 per 100,000 people were treated in hospital, compared to 144 per 100,000 in the most affluent areas, while men were 2.3 times more likely to be admitted than women.

The latest figures, published by Public Health Scotland, show that almost half (10,686) of the patients who needed treatment had not been admitted for alcohol-related issues before.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “These statistics cover a period which was wholly impacted by the pandemic and it is not possible to draw longer-term conclusions from them.

“We know the restrictions in place on the hospitality industry due to the pandemic have impacted on people’s drinking behaviour, and 2020 saw more alcohol being consumed at home which is cheaper and a less controlled environment than pubs and bars.

“We are taking a range of actions to reduce alcohol-related harms, including reducing deaths and hospitalisations, through our two alcohol strategies – the Alcohol Framework and Rights, Respect and Recovery.

“This includes consulting on potential restrictions on alcohol advertising this year, reviewing the level of the minimum unit price and improving health information on product labels.

“We have announced increased investment in tackling problematic alcohol and drug use, residential rehabilitation and support for the Simon Community’s Managed Alcohol Programme pilot.

“Work on reducing alcohol harms is ongoing, including work on understanding the impact Covid has had on these harms.”

Responding to the figures, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton called for minimum unit pricing to be increased from the current rate of 50p to 65p on all alcoholic drinks.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “Every day almost 100 Scots are admitted to hospital for alcohol-related related reasons.

“Not only can alcohol wreck the lives of those who misuse it, it has huge effects on families and communities too.

“Experts have suggested that raising the minimum unit price to 65p in line with the original ambition of the policy would cut alcohol misuse and reduce the pressure on our health and justice systems.

“Once this step has been taken Scottish Liberal Democrats are keen to see the minimum unit price of alcohol linked to inflation so that the value of the policy does not decrease over time.

“The Health Secretary needs to set out fresh measures to help Scotland win its battle with the bottle.”

Scottish Conservative public health spokeswoman Sue Webber said: “It is truly shocking that depending on where you live, you are more likely to end up in hospital as a result of alcohol.

“Alcohol deaths are at their highest level since 2008 on the SNP’s watch and it is our poorest communities who are suffering the most.

“Scotland continues to have significant issues in treating alcohol and drug-related issues – that has got far worse since the SNP came to power.

“It is clear that their current strategies are not working given that these figures have not improved at all since last year.

“The SNP should listen to frontline experts and back Scottish Conservative plans for a Right to Recovery Bill so we can guarantee access to treatment for those who need it and are suffering from alcohol or drug-related addiction.”

Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said, “Although on the surface the lower hospital admissions rate in 2020-21 appears to be good news, it needs to be seen in the context of a significant increase in alcohol specific deaths in 2020.

“This may suggest that people were not seeking help when they needed it. There have been reports that fewer people were presenting for medical help in general during the pandemic, possibly due to concerns about placing additional demand on the NHS or fears of catching Covid while in hospital.

“Helping people to reduce how much they drink must remain a priority, both through the provision of accessible and recovery-oriented support, as well as population level approaches, such as increasing the minimum unit price to 65p per unit, introducing restrictions on alcohol marketing, and reducing the ready availability of alcohol.”

Dr Alastair MacGilchrist, chairman of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), said: “Today’s data shows a 10% reduction in alcohol-related hospital stays during 2020-21 while previous data has shown that tragically the number of people who lost their lives directly because of alcohol in 2020 increased by 17% to 1,190 people.

“The Covid-19 pandemic and measures taken in response will have affected these figures.

“Hospital admissions across the board – not just for those associated with alcohol – fell significantly at the start of the pandemic as people stayed away because of fears of contracting Covid and because services became unavailable as staff were redeployed.

“This reduced access – alongside other factors such as changes in consumption habits – will have contributed to the increase in the number of people dying directly as a result of alcohol.

“What we now need to see is a renewed focus on rebuilding services for people living with alcohol problems so that people are able to get the support and care they need to treat any harms arising from their consumption as well as access to the support that may be needed to begin recovery.”