ALCOHOL CONCERN WELCOMES THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'S NEW FOCUS ON TREATMENT

In response to the government's pledge to provide additional money for areas with the highest rates of alcohol-related hospital admissions, Don Shenker, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern says:

Alcohol Concern Statement

16:00 Monday 09th June 2008




ALCOHOL CONCERN WELCOMES THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'S NEW FOCUS ON TREATMENT

In response to the government's pledge to provide additional money for areas with the highest rates of alcohol-related hospital admissions, Don Shenker, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern says:

"Unskilled men are between 10 and 20 times more likely to die from alcohol-related causes than those with a professional background. The Department of Health's decision to place alcohol at the heart of its new drive against health inequalities is therefore the right one to have taken, and we support any measures that bring down the number of hospital admissions caused by alcohol misuse.

We are also encouraged by the Secretary of State's timely support for alcohol treatment. The new national support team he announced today must persuade PCTs to invest more in structured treatment if it is to succeed. However, Whitehall also needs to ensure that there is further money available where needed to allow trusts to narrow the gap between the large number of people who need alcohol treatment and the limited number of spaces on treatment programmes. Otherwise local areas will be unable to meet worthy targets to improve everyone's health."

ENDS

Date: 09 June 2008