Doctors join Tesco in call to end sale of cut-price alcohol

Two hard-hitting reports from the British Medical Association accused ministers of failing to tackle drink-related disorder and meddling in the health service.

It called for an urgent review of drink prices and demanded a constitution to free the NHS from party politics.

The move came as supermarket giant Tesco said it was willing to negotiate laws to ban the sale of cut-price alcohol.

Chief executive Terry Leahy's bid to seize the initiative over drink prices was hailed as a victory for the BMA, which has called for minimum price levels for all drinks.

Tesco said it would be "commercial suicide" to act alone but admitted it had a role to play in tackling Britain's alcohol culture.

A spokeswoman said: "The only safe solution is for the Government to initiate and lead those discussions and bring forward legislative proposals that Tesco and others in our industry can support."

But the BMA said ministers had failed to curb a rise in drink-related family breakdown and deaths linked to alcohol addiction.

Its medical experts believe too much money is being spent on ineffective measures, including awareness campaigns in schools, that screening for drink addiction is failing and that successive governments have worked too closely with the alcohol industry.

Patients at risk of alcohol-related heart and liver disease are also waiting months for treatment.

The report from the BMA's board of science calls on ministers to bring in tough policies aimed at reducing the increasing burden on society of alcohol abuse.

Their key recommendations include:

A minimum price for all drinks
A cut in the legal drink driving limit from 80mg/100ml to 50mg/100ml
New funding for specialist alcohol treatment services
A new system of identifying problem drinkers at an early stage
Labels on drinks stating units, recommended guidelines for consumption and warnings about the dangers of excessive drinking
Tougher curbs on advertising, sponsorship and promotion including an end to happy hours.

A second policy paper issued by the doctors' union called for an end to politicians "extravagant and unrealistic" promises over the NHS.

It said party politics were harming the health service and said it should be freed from Government control with a constitution.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the BMA council, said: "Such an important institution as the NHS should not be used by competing politicians trying to outbid each other with extravagant and unrealistic claims.

"We need to transform the culture of the health service from one of politicisation to one of professionalism.

"This would ensure greater accountability to patients, and give NHS staff greater freedom to do their day-to-day work efficiently, without government interference."

Under the BMA proposals, the NHS would operate under the guidance of a board of governors.