Alcohol-related illness affects 800,000 a year

The amount of people being admitted to hospitals with alcohol-related illnesses is increasing by 10 per cent every year, affecting 800,000 people annually, latest NHS figures show.

This total represents six per cent of all NHS admissions, and for the first time the figures include instances of cancer, heart disease and strokes caused by alcohol consumption.

Although Office for National Statistics figures showed last month that hospital admissions in 2005/6 for diseases caused by alcohol stood at 208,000, these cases failed to take into account drink-fuelled violence or road accidents.

Public health minister Dawn Primarolo unveiled a new alcohol strategy entitled 'Changing our drinking culture' on Tuesday. It follows a Department of Health consultation and independent reviews.

The strategy endorses cigarette packet-style health warnings on drinks labelling, as well as a reduction in the size of measures in bars and pubs.

It also recommended that happy hours are restricted and that alcohol displays in off licences should be in areas away from the checkout.

Primarolo, said: "The evidence from this series of reviews, and the hospital admissions data, clearly make this the right time to consult on a far tougher approach to the alcohol industry.

"The drinks industry has a vital role to play if we are to change the country's attitudes to alcohol. Some sections of the industry are sticking to the voluntary codes, others are blatantly ignoring them.

"This consultation will decide whether legally binding regulations for retailers and manufacturers to promote sensible drinking are the way forward."

And her words were echoed by Home Office Minister Tony McNulty, who said: "We now need a new set of standards and over the next few months we will work intensively with industry representatives and other interested groups to breathe new life into the system.

"We have also made it quite clear that if necessary we will introduce legislation to make the new standards mandatory."

Latest calculations released today put the cost of alcohol misuse to society at between £17.7bn to £25.1bn annually, at a cost of £2.7bn to the NHS.

Click here for details of a Westminster Briefing event on the Youth Alcohol Action Plan on September 10.