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Alcohol Improvement Programme
Added on
16/10/2008
Updated on
04/06/2010
The Alcohol Improvement Programme (AIP) was established in April 2008 by the Department of Health to help reduce Alcohol-related Hospital Admissions (RA-rHAs) across the NHS.
AIP provides hands-on support to the 20 Early Implementer Primary Care Trusts (PCT's) and other support activities to the wider NHS including the Alcohol Learning Centre.
The objectives of the programme are to:
- Provide priority support to the 20 Early Implementer PCT's who have high rates of alcohol related hospital admissions.
- Support capacity and capability building in local sectors to ensure sustainability and growth for change.
- Collate and disseminate evidence and learning to support PCTs in delivering against Vital Signs indicator VSC26 to reduce the rate of increase in alcohol-related hospital admissions as measured by Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data.
- Produce guidance on the key enablers and activities for change.
- Ensure that advice and guidance which has the most impact on RA-rHAs is developed with regional input to support regional implementation.
The impact of alcohol consumption on the NHS and the community
Annual healthcare costs related to alcohol misuse add up to around £2.7 billion per year. Alcohol-related illness or injury currently accounts for nearly a million hospital admissions per year and this figure is increasing. Men aged 34-74 who drink over 50 units a week are responsible for more than 60% of all alcohol-related admissions for males. The peak age for alcohol-related deaths is now around 55-59 for both men and women, with between 15,000 and 22,000 premature deaths annually. In 2005, 4,160 people in England and Wales died from alcoholic liver disease - a figure that has almost doubled in ten years.
Alcohol Statistics by Region
Evidence demonstrates clear and substantial differences in the relationship between social economic groups across all regions in England and the health consequences of alcohol misuse. The most deprived fifth of the population in England suffer two to three times greater loss of life as a direct attribute of alcohol. These groups also suffer three to five times greater mortality due to alcohol-specific causes and are two to five times more likely to be admitted to hospital because of alcohol than in the more affluent areas. [source: Indications of Public Health in the English Regions 8:Alcohol (AOPHO)]
Focusing the majority of support on these areas through the Alcohol Improvement Programme is central to improving the quality of life for local communities and individuals.
