Ninety nine per cent of emergency consultants report abuse by drunk patients

Ninety nine per cent of consultants in accident and emergency departments in England said in a recent survey that either they or members of their staff have been victims of physical or verbal abuse from drunken patients, a new study reports.

The report from the Alcohol Reduction Group–a newly formed coalition of the charities Alcohol Concern, Turning Point, and the London Drug and Alcohol Network–says that alcohol misuse is putting an enormous strain on emergency departments and on emergency services across the country.

The coalition is urging the government to take immediate action to tackle alcohol misuse and drive through the implementation of an effective strategy for alcohol harm reduction, initially promised after the 1997 election. The coalition's stance is highlighted by the “No half measures” campaign, also launched this week.

“Across the whole range of harms caused by alcohol misuse, from liver cirrhosis to car accidents to casual violence, it is the country's public services and public service workers who are in the front line. They are ideally placed to offer informed views about the nature of Britain's alcohol problem,” says the coalition's report, which resulted from consultation with series of focus groups around England involving police officers, paramedics and fire fighters as well as a telephone poll of lead consultants in emergency departments and police sergeants across the country.

The impact that alcohol misuse has on the workload of emergency departments is clear, as more than three in five patients treated on Friday and Saturday nights attend as a result of alcohol misuse. Eighty per cent of emergency consultants surveyed admit that they do not have the staff, training, or other resources to deal with the serious repercussions of heavy drinking.

These findings come at a time when there has been much publicity, particularly about young holidaymakers and their binge drinking, and the British drinking culture.

The report also mirrors the government's Cabinet Office statistics published last month, which show that alcohol related injuries and illnesses cost the NHS up to £1.7bn ($2.9bn; €2.4bn) a year. About 150 000 people are admitted to hospital because of alcohol related accidents and illnesses every year, and about 40% of attendances in emergency departments are alcohol related, rising to 70% of attendances between midnight and 5 am.

Commenting on the research, Eric Appleby, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: “This research illustrates just how poorly we have been managing alcohol misuse in England. Our already overstretched emergency services are being left to deal with the fallout of the weekend excesses. There can be no more powerful evidence of the urgent need for a comprehensive national strategy to misery and mayhem caused by alcohol misuse.”

The report can be accessed at www.alcoholconcern.org.uk