Drinkers cost University Hospital of North Staffordshire's A&E department £1.6m
DRINKERS are draining the city's health service of more than £1.6 million-a-year as thousands of them are turning up at A&E needing treatment.
Figures obtained by The Sentinel show 13,005 patients have been admitted to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire because of alcohol over the last year.
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City centre bars are facing renewed calls to shorten their opening hours in a bid to cut the number of alcohol related hospital admissions.
The number of drink-related admissions has more than doubled in five years.
Now city centre bars face being forced to shut hours early as police battle to stem the rise in night-time violence and injuries caused by excessive drinking.
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Stoke-on-Trent City Council is carrying out an inquiry into Hanley's night-time economy and it could lead to bars which currently stay open until 4am being hit with a blanket 2am curfew. Chief Superintendent Bernie O'Reilly, policing commander for Stoke-on-Trent, said: "The so-called cafe culture tried to tackle binge drinking and associated violence by extending opening hours. This has failed.
"The widespread availability of cheap alcohol has extended the problem of binge drinking over a longer period of time. This has had a significant impact on policing and other public services.
"I am convinced we could reduce violence if we reduced opening hours."
It emerged earlier this year that Staffordshire Police dealt with 500 incidents at just 10 city centre bars in a year.
Hospital records show patients are being admitted to A&E for a range of injuries caused by alcohol.
But the biggest single reason for admission is people who have simply drunk too much – accounting for 5,419, or 42 per cent, of the cases.
The cost of actually treating these patients has soared to more than £1.37 million.
Paramedics also responded to 1,412 emergencies understood to have been caused by alcohol in 2011/12 – adding a further £282,000 to the health bill.
Suzie Fothergill, of West Midlands Ambulance Service, said the peak times were Friday and Saturday nights.
"Every time the service is called to deal with an alcohol-related incident, those ambulance resources are not available to deal with life-threatening emergencies," she added.
City councillor Andy Lilley, a member of the alcohol task group, is keen to include these figures as evidence in the council's review.
He said: "If the review finds cutting opening hours can reduce this burden on the NHS, it has to be a good thing for the health service and the people of the city."
Kevin Parker, emergency centre matron at UHNS, confirmed they have seen an increase in alcohol-related cases.
He added: "To help to tackle this problem, we now have very close links with the alcohol liaison service, including a previous A&E nurse who has joined the service.
"Our emergency centre consultants participate, alongside senior nurses, in a group looking to screen all our patients for alcohol-related attendances.
"We're referring these patients to the alcohol liaison service."
Comments
by camband
Monday, October 08 2012, 11:06PM
“"Because drinking at home is cheaper many people will drink a lot more." -suffolkpunch.
....And then go to hospital.”
by DizzyDave1960
Monday, October 08 2012, 8:59PM
“This is the latest craze in the cocktail bars and is somewhat alarming.
http://tinyurl.com/8jq5q3u
Alcohol is dangerous to our health as it is and has a far worse effect on the body than some illegal drugs;
http://tinyurl.com/9rbc899
http://tinyurl.com/9jknuuz
and we know the dangers we face when taking these killers and therefore, shouldn't we be penalised for stupidity?
Like johnboy2011 states; "If people are turning up at A&E with illness and injury relating to alcohol abuse, bill them for their treatment, and the same with drugs". We have got to take responsibility for our actions, especially our younger generation. But we've got to understand that our younger generation only learn from the older generation!”
by ainsworthcole
Monday, October 08 2012, 6:36PM
“People will start drinking earlier if the clubs are closed at 2am, what is there to stop them drinking the same amount they would just arrive from earlier and start drinking. The problem is of the police own making and the city too.
We had before a vibrant town center nightlife in most towns of the city. Burslem, Tunstall all had their own nightlife, the police and the city tried and succeeded in having everyone cooped up in a small area in Hanley drinking as fast and as much as they can, and this is why we now have this situation.
We are now where we are because Burslem,Tunstall etc had became ghost towns after 9am with no late night bars or clubs to go, everyone heads up or have to go up Hanley. The police continues to oppose and actively discourages any applications fror late night openings in other areas and is pleas with themselves for keeping these pleases devoid of late night entertainment and associations.
The more mature drinkers cannot find anywhere to go and must now brave the crowds of sometimes unruly and exuberant behaving masses in Hanley. I can only say one thing, if the council and the police have created a monster then it's their problem to contain, but closing down these places at 2am won't solve the problem.
I will advise the police that don't want to do any work but rather have the nights free to twiddle their thumbs go out there and do some work.
The council as well as the UHNS can also work to help in sensitizing these drinkers of the dangers of drinking too much, they should actively be on the streets promoting safe drinking and responsibility.
Here I could help them putting this together, they could ask the owners of wine bars and clubs to help with putting the safe drinking message across.”
by Jobeeone
Monday, October 08 2012, 5:53PM
“How can this possibly be an immigration issue!!!
I listen to vulnerable people tell me about how hard their life is every day I work. But we can't just deny those people we don't like as much as it angers us because if we do we become less than we are not more.
I am led to believe that people get tanked up on cheap booze at home and then go out. If they stayed at home and just nodded off would that make the problem less? Cannabis campaigners over to you!”
by kitcrew
Monday, October 08 2012, 4:26PM
“Give them all detention the next day after school!!!”
by edlrule
Monday, October 08 2012, 4:00PM
“start charging these people.its self abuse.nobody makes them get into this state.if they can afford to get totally legless then they can afford to pay for the treatment.”
by Robnoxious
Monday, October 08 2012, 3:45PM
“You could have thanked me ,johnny”
by Robnoxious
Monday, October 08 2012, 3:39PM
“Redlight99 - Totally agree with what you say. Watched it also, the International Health Service. Just the tip of the iceberg, we are being fleeced all over the place. The country has become a, Soft Touch.”
by Johntoe
Monday, October 08 2012, 2:46PM
“@ camband
Right you are mate point taken I was in a hurry and it's amazing how accidentally missing one word can make a person's post seem like gibberish (as opposed to 'some' people who's posts often need an interpreter, if ya get me)
It should of course have read,-
I don't think making people, 'PAY', (for treatment) who are either high on alcohol or any other drug, who need help from the hospitals, is the way forwards,”
by Redlight99
Monday, October 08 2012, 2:34PM
“This is an issue what' needs addressing any cut back in this would be a step in the right direction.. But how much does it cost for all the people coming over to this country from anywhere in the world and now being given treatment on the nhs for free? Health tourists were scamming the system before and instead of putting measures in place to stop this scamming of our system they just put in place a treat anyone at the tax payers cost.. There's a really good program i think it was panarama last Wednesday.. Worth a watch”