North Tyneside has highest rate for hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions among under 18s
North Tyneside has the highest rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions among under-18s in England.
According to a North Tyneside Council community safety report, North Tyneside ranks top among all local authorities in England per hospital visit for alcohol-related illnesses. The local rate stands at 75.5 per 100,000, “significantly” higher than the regional rate of 48.7 and the national rate of 26.
The report also highlights that North Tyneside had the fourth highest hospital admission rate for “alcohol-specific” conditions in England across all ages and sexes. The rate sits at 1,208 per 10,000, higher again than the regional rate of 958 and the national rate of 581.
The report goes on to say the trend is “increasing and getting worse”.
Chris Woodcock, Deputy Director of Public Health at North Tyneside Council, said: “We have been a bit of an outlier for a while around alcohol related admissions for under-18s. But there are a number of programmes that are in place to try and address this, like working with local schools.
“There is a lot of activity with trading standards colleagues trying to address underage sales and that maybe goes through the licensing committee and then we take action on a licensee.
“There is a sustained progtramme of work trying to tackle alcohol related under-18 hospital admissions. Although the rates are higher than anyone would like them, sometimes when you break them down into people it’s not a huge number.”
North Tyneside Council currently has in place its ‘Alcohol Strategy 2023-2025’ with priorities including reducing the proportion of adults who consume more than 14 units of alcohol a week. In addition, it aims to increase the number of frontline staff trained up to be able to spot signs of excess drinking and engage with potentially vulnerable residents.
Those suffering from alcohol misuse problems can also receive support from the North Tyneside Recovery Partnership, which is a social enterprise managed between the organisations NTW, Turning Point and Changing Lives. The Department of Health & Social Care estimates alcohol misuse costs the NHS about £3.5bn annually, alongside a general societal cost of £21bn.