The SNP Government have been accused of letting down Scotland’s most disadvantaged communities after another ‘desperately sad’ rise in the nation’s alcohol deaths tally.
Official figures released by National Records of Scotland today show that there were 1,245 alcohol-specific fatalities in 2021 - the highest number since 2008.
That represents a 5% rise on the 2020 total of 1,190. It means Scotland has a rate of 22.3 deaths per 100,000 of the population – the highest in the UK.
The figures also show that the rate was 5.6 times higher in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least deprived.
Shadow Health Secretary Dr Sandesh Gulhane said that – as with Scotland’s drug-deaths epidemic – this proved it was the poorest who were being let down most by the SNP government’s failure to get on top of the crisis.
He said the SNP had wrongly relied on Minimum Unit Pricing, which he described as ‘a blunt instrument to tackle a complex problem’.
Instead, he urged ministers to finally back the Scottish Conservatives’ landmark Right to Recovery Bill, which would give everyone a legal right to receive treatment for their addiction.
Scottish Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP, said: “These desperately sad and worsening figures are further confirmation of the grip alcohol has over Scotland.
“Every one of these deaths is a tragic personal story and heart-breaking for the loved ones left behind.
“As with the drug-deaths epidemic, the crisis has only got worse on Nicola Sturgeon’s watch – and it’s those from our most deprived areas who are suffering the most.
“Again, the SNP Government have been found wanting. They wrongly saw Minimum Unit Pricing as the panacea, when, in reality, it’s a blunt instrument to tackle a very complex problem.
“Rather than producing a reduction in alcohol consumption, research from Public Health Scotland suggests that MUP has led to people cutting back on food so that they can afford to drink at the same level.
“It’s time the SNP Government got off the fence and backed the Scottish Conservatives’ Right to Recovery Bill, which would enshrine in law the right of everyone in Scotland to receive the treatment they need – such as residential abstinence programmes – to help tackle their addiction.
“It’s unforgivable of ministers to simply wring their hands when the alcohol-related fatality rate in Scotland is higher than anywhere else in the UK, and the death toll continues to rise. They have to act now.”
Notes
There were 1,245 alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland in 2021, an increase of 5% (55 deaths) on 2020 and the highest number since 2008. The rate of mortality from alcohol-specific causes was 22.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. (National Records of Scotland, Alcohol-specific deaths 2021, 2 August 2022, link).
Alcohol-specific deaths were 5.6 times as likely in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least deprived areas. This compares to a ratio of 1.9 times for all causes of death. (National Records of Scotland, Alcohol-specific deaths 2021, 2 August 2022, link).
Enough alcohol is sold in Scotland every week to put every adult in Scotland over the weekly guideline. Despite the reduction in sales overall, Public Health Scotland reported that population level consumption was still above recommended levels. Between March 2020 and May 2021, 17 units of pure alcohol have been sold per adult each week on average. This represents enough alcohol to put every adult in Scotland over the Chief Medical Officer’s low-risk weekly drinking guideline of 14 units. (Public Health Scotland, Alcohol sales and harm in Scotland during the Covid-19 pandemic, 22 February 2022, link).
In 2021, 9.4 litres of pure alcohol were sold per adult, equivalent to an average consumption of 18.1 units per adult per week. This substantially exceeds the low risk weekly drinking guideline of 14 units. A quarter of adults exceeded the low risk weekly drinking guideline in 2021 while the volume of pure alcohol sold per adult in Scotland in 2021 was 4% higher than in England & Wales. Of those exceeding the guideline, mean weekly consumption was highest among those in the lowest income groups. (Public Health Scotland, Monitoring and evaluating Scotland’s alcohol strategy (MESAS), 21 June 2021, link).
Alcohol deaths are higher in Scotland than any other UK nation. In 2020, Scotland and Northern Ireland had the highest alcohol-specific death rates in 2020, with 21.5 and 19.6 deaths per 100,000 persons respectively. England and Wales continue to have lower rates of alcohol-specific deaths, with 13.0 and 13.9 deaths per 100,000 persons respectively. (Office for National Statistics, Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2020, 7 December 2021, link).
A study from Public Health Scotland revealed that Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) is forcing problem drinkers cut back on food to buy alcohol. The study, commissioned by Public Health Scotland and led by the University of Sheffield, showed that ‘participants found ways to obtain extra money for purchasing alcohol, including reduced spending on food and utility bills, increased borrowing from family, friends or pawnbrokers, running down savings and using foodbanks or other forms of charity’. (Public Health Scotland, Evaluating the impact of minimum unit pricing in Scotland on people who are drinking at harmful levels, briefing paper, 7 June 2022, link).
The report showed that some people are responding to MUP by switching to spirits. According to Public Health Scotland ‘there were several direct reports of people with alcohol dependence responding to MUP by switching from high-strength ciders or beers to either lower strength products or spirits, particularly vodka’. (Public Health Scotland, Evaluating the impact of minimum unit pricing in Scotland on people who are drinking at harmful levels, briefing paper, 7 June 2022, link).
The report found ‘no clear evidence’ of a reduction in alcohol consumption. No clear evidence was found of a reduction in alcohol consumption among people drinking at harmful levels following the implementation of MUP. (Public Health Scotland, Evaluating the impact of minimum unit pricing in Scotland on people who are drinking at harmful levels, briefing paper, 7 June 2022, link).