Drink blamed for big rise in 999 calls for ambulances

Wednesday 15 August 2012

Alcohol-related incidents that required an ambulance have risen by almost one-fifth in the past three years, figures have revealed.

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Mark McLaughlin

Ambulance crews in Scotland attended 27,281 incidents, where alcohol was cited as the main cause, in 2011/12. That compared to 26,241 call-outs in 2010/11 and 22,571 the year before.

Jackson Carlaw, Scottish Conservatives' health spokesman whose party obtained the figures, said he hoped the new minimum pricing legislation would reverse the upsurge.

The Conservatives opposed setting a minimum unit price on alcohol in the last Scottish Parliament and only came round to the idea following a major policy shift under current leader Ruth Davidson.The figures suggest incidents are particularly common at weekends, with ambulance audits estimating about two-thirds of life-threatening emergency call-outs can be blamed, in some part, on alcohol.The Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area had the most incidents last year, with more than 9000, while other boards with large cities also featured highly.The statistics come months after the Conservatives revealed there were almost 500 homes in Scotland that paramedics were not allowed to enter without police protection, because of threats to their safety.Mr Carlaw said: "Ambulance workers face a tough enough job without alcohol being thrown in the mix as such an unnecessary ingredient. This poses huge challenges, not only from a health point of view, but also a law and order one."Whether it is someone who has consumed too much, meaning their stomach has to be pumped, or violence ignited by a drinking binge, these are all avoidable incidents."We need to get a handle on alcohol-related disorder, because people will look at these worsening statistics and not accept crime is at its lowest in three decades."Given paramedics only record alcohol as a factor if they have time, and if it is an overwhelming factor, the true picture is surely far graver than this."Hopefully, when alcohol minimum pricing is brought in we will see a change."A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: "Alcohol has a significant impact on ambulance operations and is often a factor in incidents of abuse and assaults on staff."We have an agreed process with the police to manage drunk and incapable people, and ensure they are appropriately referred."At busy times, we work with local authorities and other agencies to run triage centres to manage drunk patients and, wherever possible, reduce unnecessary visits to busy A&E departments."A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Alcohol misuse is taking its toll on too many people across Scotland, young and old. Not only does this misuse burden our health service and police, it costs Scots £3.6 billion each year."Given the link between consumption and harm, and the evidence that affordability is one of the drivers of increased consumption, the Scottish Government believes minimum pricing is the best way to tackle alcohol misuse."Together with our comprehensive alcohol framework and a record investment of £196million we can create the cultural shift required to change our relationship with alcohol."

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Drink blamed for big rise in 999 calls for ambulances

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