Economy

You’ll be aware of the impact that alcohol is having on the health of the North East – but what about the wealth of the North East?

All the time spent attending alcohol-related crime scenes, dealing with alcohol related violence and treating patients who have had too much to drink is time, resource and cost intensive.

Our economy is suffering at the hands of alcohol misuse. It is estimated that alcohol related crime and disorder costs England £9-15 billion each year including public health services, care services, criminal justice system costs, education and social services costs.

Alcohol misuse is also estimated to cost the NHS in England £2.7 billion, comprising of inpatient and day visits, A&E visits, ambulance services, GP consultations and specialist treatment services.

In the North East of England alcohol misuse is costing up to £1.29 billion a year – that’s over £400 for every man, woman and child.

Did you know?

• The cost alone to the North East NHS is around £225 million each year.

• The annual cost of alcohol related crime in the North East is estimated to be somewhere in the region of £361-599 million.

• The region’s alcohol specific hospital admissions are up to 60% higher than the national average.