Statement On Health Select Committee Report On Alcohol

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 08 Jan 2010 - 13:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

NHS Confederation chief executive Steve Barnett comments on today's recommendations by the Health Select Committee in its report on alcohol.

"The NHS Confederation has already argued in its own report that alcohol is causing a growing health problem in the UK that is damaging lives as well as costing the health service billions every year.

"Given the facts it is hard to escape the growing body of evidence behind the call made today for a national minimum unit price for alcohol.

"The NHS can of course carry on picking up the tab for our nation's drinking but if it does so without some consideration being given by society as a whole to the price and availability of alcohol, we will be using a sticking plaster solution for a national problem.

"It is for others to decide how policy on taxation, control and supply of alcohol is formed but it is gratifying to see how much agreement there now is on the need for us to begin in earnest to take on the implications of our national attitudes towards drinking."

Source
The NHS Confederation

• Additional
• References
• Citations