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Drunken patients swamping A&E
Amy Iggulden, Health Correspondent29 Nov 2007
Drunken patients are swamping London casualty departments at a rate of nearly 400 a week despite massive campaigns to cut binge drinking.
New figures reveal that alcohol-related admissions have soared by 40 per cent since the Government promised to tackle the problem in 2004.
In some places the number of binge drinkers taking up hospital beds has risen by 70 per cent.
Hospital doctors and nurses are being forced to deal with thousands more self-inflicted accidents every month instead of genuine emergencies.
It comes amid growing pressure on Gordon Brown to restrict alcohol sales after a think tank said 24-hour drink laws are fuelling the crisis.
London hospitals saw almost 20,000 alcohol-related admissions through accident and emergency departments in the year to April 2006, according to data obtained by the London Assembly Liberal Democrats.
But the figure rises to more than 23,000 when chronic alcoholics with planned appointments are included.
In the year to 2004 - when the Government's first "alcohol strategy" was published - there were more than 14,260 admissions through A&E where alcohol was a key cause. Overall there has been a 70 per cent rise in admissions across London since 2003.
Geoff Pope, Lib-Dem health spokesman on the Assembly, said: "Alcohol abuse is putting huge pressure on frontline NHS services."
The Evening Standard last week revealed that paramedics have seen a 12 per cent rise in alcohol abuse cases since 24-hour drinking was introduced.
But today's figures show that hospitals are bearing the brunt of the crisis.
In Camden alone, where one in four residents drinks to dangerous levels, almost 1,200 people were admitted - up 50 per cent on 2004. In Wandsworth emergency admissions have risen almost 70 per cent, to 758 a year.
At the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, the Standard saw nurses tied up for an hour with a drunken patient who was refusing treatment.
The Department of Health argues that a new strategy will improve alcohol labelling and target under-18s.
| ALCOHOL-RELATED CASUALTY ADMISSIONS | ||
| 2003/04 | 2005/06 | |
| Barking & Dag'ham | 281 | 412 |
| Barnet | 280 | 503 |
| Bexley | 295 | 368 |
| Brent | 363 | 638 |
| Bromley | 443 | 721 |
| Camden | 788 | 1,196 |
| City of London | 19 | 25 |
| Croydon | 597 | 870 |
| Ealing | 645 | 710 |
| Enfield | 298 | 443 |
| Greenwich | 409 | 604 |
| Hackney | 501 | 707 |
| H'smith & Fulham | 483 | 860 |
| Haringey | 344 | 468 |
| Harrow | 193 | 301 |
| Havering | 310 | 413 |
| Hillingdon | 540 | 714 |
| Hounslow | 421 | 812 |
| Islington | 597 | 802 |
| Kens'ton & Chelsea | 319 | 446 |
| Kingston-u-ThamesLambeth | 271 | 368 |
| Lewisham | 839 | 1,011 |
| Merton | 362 | 531 |
| Newham | 262 | 410 |
| Redbridge | 651 | 648 |
| Richmond-u-Thames | 367 | 462 |
| Southwark | 231 | 441 |
| Sutton | 748 | 961 |
| Tower Hamlets | 243 | 324 |
| Waltham Forest | 490 | 605 |
| Wandsworth | 608 | 555 |
| Wandsworth | 450 | 758 |
| Westminster | 559 | 711 |
| Not known | 54 | 87 |
| Total | 14,261 | 19,885 |
Reader views (11)
Why not set up a drunken emergency section to separate drunk and abusive patients from normal A&E? With the odd policeman to keep an eye on the department it should help those with proper problems get seen a bit quicker.
- A.N, London, 03/12/2007 12:44
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No doubt a think tank advised the goverment to allow 24 hour drinking, and now a think tank is advising against it. Is it the same think tank or was the first one a drink tank?
- Frank, England, 30/11/2007 16:24
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To cover the point Charlie made, that's why there is an increase in drunks going to A and E Depts. If a person is just drunk and incapable they will go by ambulance to hospital. Police no longer take them to the station as they are in need of medical attention and a cell is not a suitable place from that person to be. If they were to vomit/fit/stop breathing/die as a result then the Police Custody Officer would be to blame and why should he/she take that responsibility?
- Ian, London, 30/11/2007 12:28
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But smoking's been banned everywhere so that's all right then!
- Chris Naylor-Smith, Brighton, United Kingdom, 30/11/2007 12:25
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How come nobody has sought to explain the figures for Redbridge and the City of London?
- Bj, London, England, 30/11/2007 06:50
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If 400 a week can "swamp" A&E in a city of 7 million, we have a much bigger problem than drunks.
- Dave Beck, London, UK, 29/11/2007 23:37
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To Yr, Cambs - it's a great idea, but don't nurses have enough problems without being forced to act as debt collectors, trying to extract money from drunkards? Perhaps something like the parking fines scheme could be introduced, where the collectors would be paid a commission on their takings? Think of all that could go wrong with that!
- Andy, London, UK, 29/11/2007 19:27
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There is a serious growing problem due to alcohol but data is presented in a misleading way and misdirects the attention.
For a start, are these presentations of alcohol-related conditions or presentations where the patient is drunk?
How many A&E departments are there in London? 30-something, which means 10 cases per week according to the article. The number of intoxicated patients is likely to be higher, but this ignores the fact that most of these are not admitted to a hospital bed, do not cause problems through their behaviour and have health problems that could be avoided if they did not drink so much.
The real problems of alcohol can be divided into drunkenness (fighting and accidents) and health problems as a result of long term heavy drinking. And the increases in drink problems are due to wider and cheaper availability NOT the hours of its availability.
- Ahw, Westminster, 29/11/2007 17:29
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It is not clear whether the figures given are just for those who are admitted into hospital beds through A&E for alcohol related promblems or actual figures that attend A&E overall. I work in A&E and a lot more people are coming in throughout the whole day with alcohol related injuries/promblems now. A lot of alcohol related work injuries occur as people drink alcohol in their break putting their colleagues at risk as well as themselves.
Lastly why is it that only under 18s are targeted in the DOH new strategy as in my experience it is the over 18s presenting a major problem with alcohol related admissions. It would be interesting to see what porportion of those A&E admissions include under 18s.
- Sheri, London, UK, 29/11/2007 16:17
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People who are ill or injured because of their self imposed drunken state should pay a deposit to the A & E department (around £50) which can be returnable if they are not similarly treated for drink related problems in the following 2 years. If they are readmitted, picked up by ambulance or treated for such then the local hospital funds should receive the money.
- Yr, Cambs, 29/11/2007 14:52
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The drunks should be put in cells to sober up before treatment.
- Charlie, London, 29/11/2007 13:50
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