Hospitals: Alcoholic Drinks

The Government has a programme of work at both national and local levels to reduce the health harms from alcohol and to help reduce the number of people being admitted to hospital due to alcohol harms.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing local need for alcohol prevention and treatment in their area and for commissioning services to meet these needs. Through the Public Health Grant, we are providing local authorities with £3.4 billion of ringfenced funding over the next three years for alcohol and drug treatment and recovery.

The Department works closely with local authorities, providing guidance tools, data, and expertise to help them assess and plan alcohol and drug prevention and treatment. To support delivery, and with the support of partners from the devolved administrations, the Department has developed and published the first ever United Kingdom clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment. The aim of the guidelines is to promote and support good practice and improve quality of service provision, resulting in better outcomes for people experiencing harmful drinking and alcohol dependence. The Department also maintains regular engagement with commissioners and providers and works closely with other Government departments to improve pathways into treatment and foster recovery.