Alcohol-related admissions to hospital have doubled in nine years
Prescriptions for alcohol dependency up 40 per cent compared to 2003
The number of alcohol-related admissions to hospital in England have topped one million, according to new figures.
The NHS Information Centre's annual report revealed there were 1,057,000 such admissions in 2009/10.
This is up 12 per cent on the 2008/09 figure (945,500) and more than twice as many as in 2002/03 (510,800).
Of these admissions, nearly two thirds (63 per cent) were for men. Among all adults there were more admissions in the older age groups than in the younger age groups.
New prescriptions data shows that alcohol dependency cost the NHS £2.41million in prescription items in 2010. This is up 1.4 per cent on the 2009 figure (£2.38 million) and up 40 per cent since 2003 (£1.72 million).
There were 160,181 prescription items prescribed for drugs to treat alcohol dependency in primary care settings or NHS hospitals and dispensed in the community in 2010.
This is an increase of six per cent on 2009 (150,445) and an increase of 56 per cent since 2003 (102,741).
A regional breakdown revealed the highest proportion of alcohol-related prescriptions was in the North West (515 per 100,000) and lowest in London (130 per 100,000).
The NHS Information Centre chief executive Tim Straughan said: 'Today’s report shows the number of people admitted to hospital each year for alcohol related problems has topped 1 million for the first time.
'The report also highlights the increasing cost of alcohol dependency to the NHS as the number of prescription items dispensed continues to rise.
'This report provides health professionals and policy makers with a useful picture of the health issues relating to alcohol use and misuse.
'It also highlights the importance of policy makers and health professionals in recognising and tackling alcohol misuse which in turn could lead to savings for the NHS.'
