Alcohol treatments are cost-saving and will directly prevent A&E visits and hospital admissions, Public Health England has reinforced in new guidance for local authorities and clinical commissioning groups.
“For every 100 alcohol-dependent people treated, at a cost of £40,000 there will be a saving of £60,000 as well as preventing 18 A&E visits and 22 hospital admissions,” the information released as part of the Health Matters series stated.
Alcohol treatments are cost-saving and will directly prevent A&E visits and hospital admissions, Public Health England has reinforced in new guidance for local authorities and clinical commissioning groups.
“For every 100 alcohol-dependent people treated, at a cost of £40,000 there will be a saving of £60,000 as well as preventing 18 A&E visits and 22 hospital admissions,” the information released as part of the Health Matters series stated.
Tackling alcohol related harm is an important route to reducing health inequalities in general, and alcohol treatment is effective, it concluded.
“Among those who received treatment, 61% of service users reported being free of alcohol dependence when they left treatment.”
“Investment in alcohol interventions, including specialist alcohol treatment, can produce a high return.”
Alcohol-related deaths for the most deprived decile were 53% higher than the least deprived in 2013.
In Blackpool there were 79.5 alcohol related deaths recorded per 100,000 of the population in 2013; in Wokingham, Berkshire there were 33 alcohol-related deaths per 100,000.
However, the reasons for this are not fully understood as people on a low income do not tend to consume more alcohol than people from higher socio-economic groups.
The increased risk is likely to relate to the effects of other issues affecting people in lower socio-economic groups.
The areas with the lowest rates of alcohol related mortality are mainly found in the south of England. Councils with the highest rates are situated predominantly within the North West.
