NHS LANARKSHIRE BACKS MINIMUM PRICE FOR ALCOHOL

MOVE WILL REDUCE HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS AND HEALTHCARE COSTS

MSP WELCOMES CLEAR ENDORSEMENT OF SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT POLICY

Linda Fabiani MSP has welcomed NHS Lanarkshire board’s strong support for the Scottish Government’s Alcohol Bill, including the proposal to set a minimum price per unit of alcohol.

NHS Lanarkshire’s submission to the Scottish Parliament Health and Sport Committee’s call for evidence on the issue notes that, in Lanarkshire alone, a minimum price per unit of only 40p would reduce hospital admissions by 367 annually and save the local health economy over £6 million in a decade.

The board’s submission goes on to state:

“Setting a minimum price for alcohol and ending deep discounting and promotions across the board will reduce the price gap between the off-licensed and on-licensed trade. Regardless of the level of minimum price set, the combination of these measures will have a major impact on the health of Scotland. It will lower overall consumption with significant health benefits for the Scottish population and will curb the ability of problem drinkers to get drunk cheaply.”

NHS Lanarkshire joins all of Scotland’s Public Health Directors, all four UK chief medical officers, the House of Commons Health Select Committee, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, Tennent’s Caledonian brewery and a growing number of other organisations and individuals who have voiced their support for minimum pricing.

Welcoming NHS Lanarkshire’s support for minimum pricing, SNP MSP for Central Scotland Ms Fabiani said:

“The health board is in an ideal position to know the real price that is paid for cheap drink, in the form of alcohol-related illness, accidents and violence. The outcomes of these are seen every day in hospital wards and A&E departments in East Kilbride and elsewhere in Lanarkshire.

“The board’s evidence is striking, with the figures on hospital admissions and costs providing a crystal clear illustration of the positive impact that a minimum price for alcohol would have in helping to counter some of the worst effects of alcohol misuse.

“The case for minimum pricing becomes more overwhelming by the day, as near unanimous support among health and crime experts is joined by growing cross-party support in Westminster and endorsement from responsible voices in the alcohol industry, such as Tennent’s.

“Minimum pricing is a proven, sensible approach, which will target only the worst-offending, dirt cheap alcohol products without penalising responsible drinkers.

“The opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament must now stop playing politics with the nation’s health and back these proposals.”