Fresh strategy needed to combat risky drinking, top doctor warns

In a report, Lincoln Sargeant, North Yorkshire’s director of public health, says there are high levels of heavy drinking in the county compared with similar areas.

Estimates suggest 23.9 per cent of people binge drink, significantly up on the national average of 20.1 per cent.

People who drink “risky” amounts – those who exceed so-called safe levels of drinking each day or week – stand at 25.7 
per cent, higher than the national average of 23.6 per cent, ranging between 20 per cent in Scarborough and 30 per cent in Hambleton.

Dr Sargeant said a new strategy would be drawn up to combat heavy drinking ranging from work to prevent problems to better treatment.

He said there were “stark differences” in overall death rates between communities in North Yorkshire, with a child’s life expectancy varying up to eight years.

Despite people putting “high value” on health, he said the majority of adults had at least one major lifestyle risk including smoking, drinking too much, being inactive or overweight or obese.

He warned cuts to public services could hamper efforts to improve health, in particular hitting deprived communities.

“Changes to these services, particularly when viewed cumulatively, can impact on the health and wellbeing of the population long into the future and are likely to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in our society,” he said.

“We must work to ensure that the potential negative impact of these changes are minimised and highlight where we believe those in greatest need are being affected the most.”

Responsibility for public health passed from the NHS to local authorities in the spring.

Coun Don Mackenzie, executive member for public health and prevention, said the report outlined “the many challenges we face with an ageing population, a reduction in available financial resources to fund our activities, and the ever-changing health behaviours of us all”.