National alcohol ‘epidemic’ not being tackled

Researchers at King's College London have warned that ongoing cuts to alcohol rehabilitation services are leading to a ‘national epidemic’ of alcohol-related problems not being tackled.

English councils say that government grant cuts are to blame, with the study finding that more than £100 million has been cut since services in England were reorganised in 2012.

Drug and alcohol services in England had lost approximately 30 per cent of their budgets since 2013-14, when they were handed over to local authority control. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, claims that people with alcohol dependency in Scotland and Wales, where there has been investment in alcohol treatment services, are 2.5 times more likely to have access to specialist treatment than those in England, where hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions have risen 17 per cent in the past decade.

King's College revealed the inpatient detox support had been cut by 54 per cent since 2011-12, while specialist community support had been reduced by 22 per cent since 2013-14.

Previous research has found alcohol-related conditions in NHS hospitals were approximately 20-30 times higher than official government statistics suggested.

Colin Drummond, professor of addiction services at King’s, said: “The services that are being cut have a strong evidence base of effectiveness and cost effectiveness. For every £1 you spend on treatment, you save over £3 in NHS and social care costs, so cutting these services is a false economy.

"While it's great that the government is to invest more in alcohol care teams in acute hospitals, which is really needed, there is not much point in having a Rolls-Royce hospital-based service when you have a Reliant Robin with a flat tyre waiting in the community to pick you up."

Ian Hudspeth, chair of the  Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board, said: "Councils are committed to ensuring that those people affected by alcohol and drug problems get the right support and treatment. So, providing well-funded, targeted and effective substance misuse services is vital.

"However, cuts to councils' public health grant by central government have consequences. Leaving councils to pick up the bill for treating new and increasing numbers of users while having fewer resources cannot be an option. It is therefore essential that the new prime minister uses the upcoming spending review to reverse these reductions to the public health grant and provides councils with the money needed to invest in cost-effective prevention and recovery work."