The North West has seen the second biggest fall in alcohol-related hospital admissions across the UK, according to a new study from Private Rehab Clinic Delamere.
The UK Drug Addiction 2022 report from Delamere has analysed data from pre-pandemic to current to reveal the impact COVID-19 had on alcohol hospital admissions.
In England and Wales hospital admissions for alcohol-related issues have seen a dramatic 70%, with the UK’s capital London seeing the biggest drop at 74.5%.
The report found that the North West of England, was among the top regions to see the biggest drop in alcohol-related hospital admissions.
In 2016 the region saw a staggering total of 135,540 hospital admissions relating to alcohol consumption, but by 2021 had dropped by a huge 73% to 35,560.
Other areas with the biggest drop in alcohol-related hospital admissions include London, Yorkshire and Humber, and the East of England.
Catherine Carney, Delamere’s psychiatrist and addiction specialist, says of the findings:
“On the face of it, a decrease in alcohol-related hospital admissions appears to be a positive outcome. However, upon deeper inspection, it’s clear that this is not necessarily the case.
“During the pandemic, ready access to health and social care was much more restricted — this meant routine hospital services were also very restricted.
“In order to prioritise access to hospital beds for those fighting COVID-19, other health services were replaced with telephone or online consultations — or postponed entirely. In addition, hospital staff were redeployed or limited in their abilities due to a stark increase in their workload.
“In this context, it’s also worth noting that alcohol deaths throughout the UK rose to an all-time high in 2020. From this statistic alone, it’s clear that the dramatic decline in alcohol-related hospital admissions sadly had fatal consequences for far too many people.”
