Health chiefs want higher prices to tackle town's drinks problem

HEALTH chiefs in Doncaster have drawn up a new strategy to try and combat problem drinking in the town, where an estimated 63,000 people are "adversely affected" by alcohol.

The news comes just days after similar plans were unveiled in Sheffield, which include backing a minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol to try and reduce the amount that people drink.

Doncaster's strategy has been drawn up by NHS Doncaster and Doncaster Council and is described as a "three-pronged plan to tackle the town's drinking culture and reduce the harm caused by excessive alcohol".

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The three areas to be focused on are treatment for alcoholics, tackling underage drinking and reducing the crime and disorder associated with excess alcohol.

Doncaster's director of public health Dr Tony Baxter said: "The aim of the three-year strategy is to minimise the health harms, violence and anti-social behaviour associated with alcohol abuse, whilst letting people enjoy responsible drinking."

Researchers estimate that the lives of more than 63,000 people in Doncaster – more than a fifth of the population – are "adversely affected" by alcohol. Of those problem drinkers, around 43,000 are estimated to have a drinking habit that is "hazardous to their health", a further 13,000 are "harmful" drinkers and 7,000 are alcoholics.

A spokesman for NHS Doncaster said: "The borough is a national drinking hot spot for the number of local men who are dying early from alcohol-related problems.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Doncaster ranks 291st out of the 327 local authorities in the country. And the picture is worse when it comes to the number of local men who are dying from chronic liver disease, with the borough ranking 305th out of 327.

"The latest available hospital data reveals that during 2009-10 more than 5,700 people were admitted to hospital with alcohol-related health problems, the highest number of admissions – 1,384 – being people who were aged 75 and above." Almost a quarter of people entering alcohol treatment services in Doncaster also said they had children living with them.

Dr Baxter added: "Doncaster has access to a number of services provided to help problem drinkers and they have recently been reviewed by Alcohol Concern, the national agency for alcohol misuse.

"The agency's recommendations have been included in the new strategy and include providing local people with information and self-help guides about alcohol so they can make choices about how much they consume and training front-line public sector staff to spot the signs of alcohol misuse and offer advice and practical help to those who need it."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Initiatives already under way in Doncaster on alcohol-related problems include the Best Bar None awards scheme, which encourages licensed premises to behave responsibly, and a drinking-themed play and workshop which so far has been performed to almost 4,200 nine- and 10-year-old schoolchildren.

Earlier this year a Designated Public Place Order (DPPO) was also introduced in Conisbrough and Denaby after a survey found the vast majority of people had suffered problems with drink-related anti-social behaviour.

Also 80 per cent of those questioned had experienced issues with litter, cans and bottles, while 74 per cent had suffered with noise problems caused by drunks. Under the order, police can tell people to stop drinking alcohol in public, and if necessary, confiscate their alcohol

Doncaster Council's cabinet member for neighbourhoods and customer services, Cynthia Ransome, said: "Alcohol misuse damages families and communities and is the source of significant crime and violence.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Changing the alcohol culture in Doncaster which has existed for many decades will not happen overnight, but the Safer Doncaster Partnership is committed to making the borough a safer place for residents to live."