NHS services in Monklands are seeing an increase in the numbers seeking help for alcohol-related issues during the pandemic.
A major focus of NHS Lanarkshire’s work on these illnesses is prevention through its North Partnership Board and the South Alcohol and Drug Partnership.
Alcohol-specific deaths in North Lanarkshire have decreased in the past four consecutive years.
The latest figures released in November last year showed there were 91, the second lowest total in the past 10 years.
That figure compared to 97 the previous year, and from 112 two years ago.
And across the NHS Lanarkshire catchment area, the number of alcohol-related deaths last year was down to 137 from the previous year’s total of 170.
The national figure for Scotland showed a highly encouraging decrease of over 10 per cent for the year.
The reduction follows on from the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol in Scotland in 2018.
Experts are encouraged by the reduction but think it’s too early to determine if the policy will have the impact on alcohol-related deaths and harm that was hoped prior to its introduction.
Dr Adam Brodie, NHS Lanarkshire’s clinical director for addictions, said: “We continue to fully support the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) but it is almost certainly too early as yet to evidence the impact of this policy on alcohol deaths and related harm.
“The best way to address alcohol-related illnesses is through prevention which is a major focus of the work of both the North Partnership Board and the South Alcohol and Drug Partnership.
“The collaborative work by both partnerships has helped to steadily reduce the number of alcohol related deaths in Lanarkshire and it is the aim to continue this work.”
Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, believes it may be the right time to increase the minimum unit price.
She said: “The evidence from the evaluation of MUP so far is promising. It appears to be having the intended effect on alcohol consumption.
“We also need to look at what else can be done to tackle alcohol harm. Reducing how readily available alcohol is and how heavily it is marketed could help to improve the lives of thousands by preventing problems developing in the first place.”
