Alcohol-related harm is costing North Tyneside £99.3 million every year, new research by the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) with North East alcohol prevention programme, Balance, has found.
If the cost in terms of ill health, crime and disorder, social care and the economy was passed on, it would equate to £475 per head for every adult and child in North Tyneside, compared to an average national figure of £485 in England.
The figures have prompted North Tyneside Council's Director of Public Health, emergency services, Police and Crime Commissioner and North Eased based violence prevention charity One Punch UK to speak out.
This is the first major analysis of its kind in over 20 years, highlighting there has been more than a 40% increase in the cost of harm from alcohol since it last calculated in 2003.
The data is published on the same day the Health and Social Care Select Committee is hearing evidence in the Commons from local health experts about preventing alcohol harm.
The £99.3 million cost to North Tyneside include:
£23.3 million to the NHS and healthcare including hospital admissions, outpatient visits, A&E attendances, ambulance journeys, healthcare appointments and treating alcohol dependency
£47.6 million in crime and disorder including alcohol related crimes, assaults, thefts and criminal damage
£19.6 million cost to the economy including lost earnings, unemployment and absenteeism
£8.7 million in local authority social services costs
Regionally alcohol is costing the North East a staggering £1.49 billion every year and England nationally nearly £27.4 billion a year. The economic burden on the NHS now stands at £4.9 billion in England; enough to pay for the salaries of almost half the nurses in England.
Wendy Burke, Director of Public Health at North Tyneside Council, said: “The consumption of alcohol is widespread across our communities, entwined with a range of social and cultural activities and many of our residents consume it without leading to harm. However harmful levels of alcohol consumption is a major health issue and cause significant issues in North Tyneside with costs to our local economy totalling nearly £100m a year.
“Alcohol-related harm puts financial pressure on our criminal justice system, local health and social care services and the productivity of our workplaces.
“Harmful consumption disproportionately affects residents living in more socio economically deprived areas. Tackling health inequality is a public health priority, and we are working across the borough with partners in community organisations, specialist services, schools and healthcare teams to try to prevent the harm caused by alcohol.
“If you’re worried about how much you are drinking or the impact that alcohol is having on your health, you can speak to your GP or the North Tyneside Recovery Partnership.
Susan Taylor, Head of Alcohol Policy for Fresh and Balance said: “People in our region are more likely to die or be hospitalised from alcohol, and these figures also show alcohol is hitting every single person in the pocket. Many of these statistics represent a personal tragedy.
“The North East suffers the worst alcohol harms in the country – and this impact is rising year on year for our people, our streets, our health and our economy.
“We need real action urgently to tackle this alcohol crisis and ensure that the prosperity of our region isn’t further compromised in the future.”
Maxine Thompson Curl founded the One Punch UK charity with her husband Tony, in memory of her son Kristian, who at the age of 20 sustained a catastrophic brain injury and died after a one punch attack. She said: “So many people get in contact with me to share stories about how alcohol has resulted in the loss of a loved one. This problem is alcohol – and the fact it is absolutely everywhere, even from the petrol station. People can buy it far too cheaply and pre-load before going out putting both their safety and the safety of others at risk, and then top up more get it ordered by delivery to the door at the end of the night.
“When I was a child it was sold from the off licence with limited opening hours. It is no wonder the problems of alcohol are now happening day and night.
“The government is taking action on smoking and put cigarettes behind screens in shops because it kills people but what about alcohol? Alcohol kills people as well, both directly or indirectly from the actions of other people who are under the influence.
“We need more action on alcohol – it is too cheap and I would like to see it promoted less, less available and to see Minimum Unit Price like in Scotland. Rather than constantly promoted and celebrated, we need alcohol to be taken far more seriously to protect more people in the future from being attacked, from becoming ill or from dying as a result.”
In response to the shocking new figures, Balance with Institute of Alcohol Studies has called on the government to reflect on the overwhelming evidence base regarding how to reduce alcohol consumption and harm, which would help reduce its economic burden. The measures they have called for include:
Tackling the increasing affordability of alcohol by introducing Minimum Unit Pricing and raising alcohol duty
Restricting alcohol marketing to protect children and vulnerable groups
Empowering local leaders to control the availability of alcohol in areas with high rates of harm.
