Health leaders have criticised the government for failing to tackle the rising levels of alcohol harm as new ONS figures reveal there were 10,048 deaths from alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK in 2022, an increase of 32.8% since 2019.
When compared to 2021 this represents a 4.2% increase.
The report from the ONS also found that in the past year:
- The North East had the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths at 21.8 per 100,000 people
- The West Midlands saw the biggest increase in alcohol related deaths at 10.2%
- The alcohol-specific death rate for females increased by 5.6%
- The alcohol-specific death rate for males (6,571) was twice that for females
Following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, alcohol-specific deaths in the UK skyrocketed, with the new data revealing this trend has continued into 2022.
In response, the Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA), a coalition of more than 60 organisations including medical royal colleges, charities and treatment providers, has written to the government calling for the implementation of a national alcohol action plan to stem the mounting death toll and reduce pressure on the over-stretched NHS. The policy recommendations, based on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) ‘best buys’, include:
- Improve marketing and promotion regulations to protect children and those impacted by alcohol harm
- Introduce mandatory alcohol product labelling to provide consumers with health and nutritional information relating to ingredients, calories and units
- Commit to long-term funding of proven and cost-effective early intervention and treatments
- Introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol in England to prevent the sale of ultra-low cost, high strength drinks and ensure alcohol duty is kept in line with inflation
Commenting on the latest ONS findings, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said: “We are in the midst of a public health crisis and the lack of government action to prevent the lives lost and resulting devastation for families, friends and communities is a shameful failure in public policy. Despite what we are often told by the alcohol industry, the evidence shows it’s a complete myth that this is a problem for only a small minority.
“Alcohol is cheaper, more available, and more heavily marketed today than ever before. As the death toll reaches record levels, so do the profits of the multi-billion-pound drinks industry. Our recent survey shows there’s clear public support for policies that tackle this crisis, despite what we hear from the industry about claims of a nanny state.
“With the NHS already under severe pressure, we cannot continue on the current trajectory. The warning sirens are ringing, and whichever Party forms the government at the next election must prepare to step up with a comprehensive alcohol strategy. This must include restrictions on marketing, availability and pricing – all of which are proven to reduce the harm caused by alcohol.”
A recent poll by YouGov in 2023 on behalf of AHA also found that the majority of the public (55%) believed the government was not taking enough action to reduce alcohol harm.
Dr Zul Mirza, Alcohol Lead at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, further commenting on the latest ONS figures, said: “It’s a great tragedy that once again we have seen such a significant rise in the number of deaths from alcohol-specific causes over the past year. Add to this the failure and lack of action from the government to tackle this issue and the result is a true public health crisis that is being experienced across the nation.
“Throughout my work, I see the extreme short-term damage alcohol can do when I treat patients with broken bones, head injuries, and often more severe injuries. However, there are far more serious long-term health risks caused by alcohol consumption, such as liver disease which is one of the biggest killers in the UK.
“If the government doesn’t act soon and implement a national alcohol action plan, I’m afraid we will only see these figures increase over the coming years. The NHS is already under immense strain and the situation will only worsen unless the next government priorities tackling this public health crisis.”