Alcohol-related liver disease highest in North England

Alcohol-related liver disease emergency hospital admissions are highest in the North West and North East of England, new figures have shown.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) published a regional map of emergency admissions per 100,000 of the adult population, alongside new data at national, Area Team and Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) level.

Collectively, hospitals in England admitted 10,500 cases of alcohol-related liver disease between April 2013 and March 2014 – more than 200 per week.

The greatest number of admissions was in Greater Manchester, which admitted a total of 1,010 over the same period.

“This map paints a powerful picture of one of the many impacts that alcohol has on patients and the NHS in this country,” said Kingsley Manning, HSCIC chairman. “This one image depicts what the hundreds of rows of data published today mean for different areas of England.

“While many will be familiar with the HSCIC’s annual alcohol statistics, fewer people may be aware we also publish a myriad of different health and social care indicators about different conditions and care on a regular basis.

“The date we have presented today about alcohol related liver disease is the first such provisional data for 2013/2014 to be published at such a local level. It should act as a basis to help the NHS commission services effectively.”

A report released earlier this week revealed alcohol abuse in Northern Ireland is costing the taxpayer £900 million each year, while last month consumers were advised not to drink two days in a row if they want to avoid serious health conditions such as heart disease and cancer.