The Department of Health has issued a consultation on the guidelines which it is thought could see figures of alcohol-related admissions fall dramatically. This means that recent figures claiming that hospitals have seen millions of admissions due to alcohol are distorted.
There is concern among trade associations as it is this information which the Government has used to base its legislative action against the alcohol industry, such as the late-night levy.
The current figure of more than a million admissions a year is based on all health conditions recorded for each patient, not just the main reason that the patient is actually admitted.
For example, if a patient is admitted for a stroke after high blood pressure, a fraction of this case is classified as alcohol-related.
This is because high blood pressure is considered an alcohol-related condition. This means that recent figures claiming that hospitals have seen millions of admissions due to alcohol are distorted.
It is anticipated that the changes will not take effect until next April.
Kate Nicholls, strategic affairs director at the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, said that the body will be questioning the Government over its approach to the trade.
“We have always said that the statistics need careful attention, and this new approach will make sure that the figures are more robust,” said Nicholls. “It is what the Government has based its decisions on.
“We will be talking to the Government about the impact on future legislation, such as the late-night levy, as it is difficult to get the Government to change legislation retrospectively.”
A spokesman at the British Beer & Pub Association said: “We have concerns about the health service methodology on admissions, something we made very clear in a submission to the NHS last year — so it is good to see this issue is being addressed.
“The increased use of ‘multiple diagnoses’ not only artificially inflates the numbers, it also raises concerns that trends are not giving an accurate picture.
“Accurate data is essential to ensure that policy and resources are targeted most effectively at those who seriously misuse alcohol.”
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