Call for minimum price on alcoholic drinks in Sunderland - with claims it could save hundreds of lives

Last year, Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) came into force in Scotland in a bid to tackle alcohol harm.

The policy was designed to increase the cost of cheap, high-strength drinks such as ciders and some spirits.

With Wales set to launch its own MUP next year, North East Alcohol Office, Balance, hopes the measure could be introduced in England.

“Our poorest communities are suffering the most because of the widespread availability of this cheap alcohol,” director of Balance, Colin Shevills, said.

“Sunderland has high levels of harm and it’s not just health, almost all of the cheap alcohol is consumed by people drinking at harmful levels.”

Mr Shevills was speaking at a recent meeting of Sunderland’s Health and Wellbeing Board, which unites health partners across the city, including the council.

The fresh calls are linked to a University of Sheffield case study, which looks at the potential impact of introducing a 50p MUP in Sunderland.

According to data, 7% of people in Sunderland drink at high risk levels, consuming 41% of all alcohol and 52% of cheap alcohol sold below 50p per unit.

In action, researchers say MUP would have a bigger impact in the North East than nationally.

In Sunderland alone, changes could prevent 270 deaths over the next 20 years, slash hospital admissions by 415 every year and save the NHS £1,060,000 annually.

Not a ‘magic bullet’

Balance is currently approaching health bosses across the region to gain their support in lobbying government to introduce the pricing structure.

However, director Mr Shevills added MUP was not a “magic bullet” and would need to be bridged with a new national alcohol strategy and extra funding for treatment services.

The meeting heard that legal advice is also being sought to potentially introduce MUP at a local, sub-regional or northern level if needed.

Dr Ian Pattison, of NHS Sunderland CCG, said problems with alcohol were “getting worse” in the city, with related conditions including liver disease, cancer, heart disease, strokes and diabetes.

He also noted the impact of alcohol in families and the risk of children becoming “future drinkers”.

“From my perspective, we need to do something more than we have been doing because it’s not working,” Dr Pattison said.

“I think my only concern is how long it is going to take, I think it was 2010 that [discussions around MUP] were first knocking around.

“Our plea as commissioners is just get on with it, stop dithering around this because the evidence is there, we should just do it.”

Other local alcohol figures for Sunderland were also discussed at the health board, including a behaviour survey involving primary and secondary schools in 2018/19.

More than 3,600 pupils took part, with one startling statistic revealing 23% of secondary pupils usually drink with their parents.

Cabinet member for children, learning and skills on the council, Coun Louise Farthing, also backed the calls for MUP.

“Sunderland has a real problem with alcohol and we can’t pretend it hasn’t,” she said.

“We need to be lobbying government for this to come in.”

Following discussion, the health and wellbeing board agreed to write to Westminster urging that MUP is introduced.

Health bosses also signed off plans for the Sunderland Alcohol Partnership to finalise an alcohol action plan, which will be brought back in March 2020 for approval.