Alcohol-related hospital admissions rise 60% in a decade
Figures from NHS Digital have revealed that at least 1.3 million people were admitted to hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis linked to alcohol in 2018 – a 60% rise in ten years. The figures also revealed that 77% of alcohol-specific deaths were in the age range 40-69.
Read the AHA’s response to the new figures
Everything you need to know about MUP in Wales
Alcohol Change UK have produced a short Q&A about the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Wales on 2 March. The Q&A explains what MUP is, why it is being introduced, and what it is likely to mean for various people. It is available online in Welsh and English.
Love your Liver roadshow returns
The British Liver Trust’s Love Your Liver roadshow will be in Portsmouth on 6 March 2020. This will be the first stop on its 2020 UK tour.
Everyone is welcome to attend the roadshow to complete our liver health screener (which is also online). The screener is a simple lifestyle questionnaire that flags up any risk factors to your liver health.
If the screener results show a potential risk to your liver health, then you may be offered a liver check with a FibroScan machine.
AHA members work with councils to show the positive impact of MUP
AHA members Balance and the Association of Directors of Public Health are working with councils across the North of England to share research conducted by the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group which shows the impact a 50p minimum unit price for alcohol would have on local communities across the North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber. The council-level data is currently being discussed at councils and other partnership groups and will be shared with Northern MPs at an event in the House of Commons on 25 March.
New President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists elected
Dr Adrian James will be the next president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is currently RCPsych’s Registrar and a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist in Devon.
As President Dr James says he will: “major on a plan to develop a pathway to parity, including addiction services, workforce well being and the promotion of diversity in order to enable all to give of their best”.
Recruitment: Policy Officer, SHAAP
Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) is seeking to appoint a Policy Officer. The role is based at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
Events
Alcohol Occasionals series 2020
SHAAP/SARN
20 February 2020, Edinburgh
SHAAP/SARN invite you to register for their exciting new seminar series showcasing research on Alcohol through the life course, at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh.
London Division StartWell Event 2020
RCPsych
4 March 2020, London
Speakers include AHA member Diane Goslar, who is conducting a session called Fighting Addiction – The Help Needed From ‘My’ Psychiatrist.
Alcohol’s harms to young people in Australia
IAS
16 March 2020, London
Dr Tina Lam will present findings from Australia’s largest study of alcohol’s harms to young people, using a survey of 3,500 risky drinking 14-19 year olds. Dr Lam will explore the relationship between young people’s drinking and their vulnerability to harms such as unwanted sexual attention, verbal abuse and physical attack.Dr Lam is a Research Fellow at Monash University’s Addiction Research Centre. She leads the Young Australians Alcohol Reporting System (YAARS)’ which is designed to target young risky drinkers who are overrepresented in harms but underrepresented in national surveys.
Men and Alcohol Seminar Series
SHAAP and IAS
Men and Alcohol: What’s Next – 20 March 2020 , London
SHAAP and IAS are pleased to invite you to join us for the final seminar in our ‘Men & Alcohol’ series in London. It will assess insights gained from the first three sessions, and a panel of experts from academia, medicine and the third sector will discuss how men will be affected by alcohol in future; how harms to them could be prevented or reduced; and how we strike a balance between state intervention and individual responsibility. The event takes place at IAS, London on Friday 20 March.
The Global Alcohol Policy Conference 2020
Global Alcohol Policy Alliance
9-11 March 2020, Dublin
The Global Alcohol Policy Conference is the leading forum for the world’s alcohol policy makers, advocates, researchers, civil society activists and practitioners. Building on the strong commitment and recent alcohol policy interventions in the country, Ireland is hosting GAPC 2020 in Dublin, 9-11 March.
The conference in Ireland will have the theme: “Alcohol, Equity and Global Health: the benefit of alcohol control for sustainable development for all.” It maintains the tradition of focusing on advocacy, overcoming vested interests in alcohol policy development and the need for international collaboration to stop the harm caused by alcohol.
MCA Annual Symposium
MCA
11 November 2020, London
The MCA Annual Symposium is a key event in the alcohol and health field. The symposium attracts delegates from clinical, policy and research backgrounds and across all the health specialties and disciplines. In 2020 The MCA Symposium will be held at BMA House in London on November 11th on the theme of Interventions and Recovery with a programme of world-class speakers. The Max Glatt lecture will be given by Peter Rice, who has had a major role in the introduction of minimum unit price in Scotland. He will talking about how best practice measures accepted by the health community, such as minimum unit price, brief interventions and restrictions on promotions, can be turned into practice.
Details of how to register to follow soon.
Find out more about the MCA on their website
Courses, grants and opportunities
Applications open for fully-funded PhD studentship
Alcohol Change UK, in partnership with the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group, are delighted to be offering a fully-funded PhD studentship to investigate Dry January and temporary alcohol abstinence. Apply by 13 March 2020.
Invitation to tender: low and no-alcohol drinks review
Alcohol Change UK wish to commission a literature and policy review about low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks. Low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks appear to be gaining market share, attention within the drinks industry, public awareness and popularity, and political focus. There is, however, next to no evidence about the effect they have on drinkers and the population as a whole.
Find more details about the project and how to submit a tender
The deadline for proposals is 2 March 2020.