Health Foundation responds to PHE’s evidence review on alcohol

Responding to the publication of PHE’s evidence review of the public health burden of alcohol and the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of alcohol control policies, Dr Jo Bibby, Director of Strategy at the Health Foundation, said:

'This review has found that there are now over 1 million hospital admissions relating to alcohol each year, and PHE has provided the government with comprehensive evidence on what works and doesn’t work to reduce the avoidable toll of harmful drinking. While the majority of people in the UK enjoy alcohol in moderation, this review shows that many people are regularly drinking at hazardous levels.

‘We would like to see government urgently use this evidence to put in place the robust strategy needed to reduce harm from alcohol and save lives. Despite the inevitable objections from the alcohol industry, creating a healthier alcohol environment requires bold action – including minimum unit pricing and reducing young people's exposure to advertising.

‘A government committed to a country that works for everyone needs to recognise that the harms caused by alcohol have the greatest impact on more deprived communities, with half of alcohol-related admissions to hospital from people in the lowest three socio-economic groups. To succeed, any strategy must therefore also acknowledge and include cross-governmental measures to address the societal and economic root causes of alcohol misuse.’

Media contact

Jack Cutforth
jack.cutforth@health.org.uk
020 7664 4623