Call for action after ‘devastating’ rise in drink deaths in England

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The groups praised health officials in Scotland for the “life-saving” minimum unit pricing scheme but said that “inaction across the border has led English deaths to spiral”. open image in gallery Health Secretary Wes Streeting And in October this year, when asked whether the current Government had any plans to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol, Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “We are continuing to work closely across government to better understand what can be done to address the drivers of alcohol-related harms.” Lord Darzi’s hard-hitting review into the NHS in England highlights how alcohol is “becoming more affordable over time, and deaths are rising at an alarming rate”. “This number can be seen as the tip of the iceberg as it reflects deaths wholly attributable to alcohol and not those where alcohol was a contributing factor, a figure likely to be three times higher.” open image in gallery Some 8,274 people in England lost their lives to alcohol in 2023 The letter highlights that there are almost 950,000 hospital admissions in England each year are related to alcohol. It adds: “Evidence from Scotland has clearly demonstrated how policies such as minimum unit pricing have saved lives, while inaction across the border has led English deaths to spiral.” The authors conclude: “Left unchecked, the alcohol harm crisis will only escalate further, placing an ever-greater burden on our healthcare system, economy and society.