2.20. Alcohol contributes to conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer and liver disease, harm from accidents, violence and self-harm [38], and puts substantial pressure on the NHS [39]. Hospitals in Bolton, Salford, Nottingham, Liverpool, London and Portsmouth have improved the quality of alcohol-related care, by establishing specialist Alcohol Care Teams (ACTs). ACTs significantly reduced accident and emergency (A&E) attendances, bed days, readmissions and ambulance call-outs [40]. Over the next five years, those hospitals with the highest rate of alcohol dependence-related admissions will be supported to fully establish ACTs using funding from their clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) health inequalities funding supplement, working in partnership with local authority commissioners of drug and alcohol services. Delivered in the 25% of worst affected hospitals, this could prevent 50,000 admissions over five years [41].

References

38. Newton, J., Briggs, A., Murray, C., Dicker, D., Foreman, K. & Wang, H. et al. (2015) Changes in health in England, with analysis by English regions and areas of deprivation, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet. 386 (10010), 2257-2274. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00195-6

39. NHS Digital (2017) Statistics on Alcohol: England 2017. Available from: https://files.digital.nhs.uk/publicationimport/pub23xxx/pub23940/alc-eng-2017-rep.pdf

40. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2016) Quality and Productivity case study. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/savingsandproductivityandlocalpracticeresource?id=2603

41. PHE modelling based on NICE (2016) Quality and Productivity case study. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/savingsandproductivityandlocalpracticeresource?id=2603