Sign in to access your Salford customer account, or see our other accounts.
Sign in or register for an accountThere is a variety of ever-changing reasons why many of us drink alcohol. However, drinking too much and too often can cause or exacerbate all sorts of problems with our physical and mental health, including damaging relationships with our loved ones.
Alcohol misuse is estimated to cost the NHS about £3.5 billion per year and society as a whole £21 billion annually, a figure which includes the impact of early death, crime and work. Alcohol consumption is a contributing factor to hospital admissions and deaths from a diverse range of conditions.
Sometimes the consumption of alcohol can lead directly to a hospital admission, but alcohol can also affect the diseases we get and how well our bodies deal with them. Alcohol use can cause or worsen a great many health conditions making the need for hospital admission more likely.
Calculations of the overall impact of alcohol on hospital admission rates use evidence of the role alcohol plays in health and how that affects the chances of being admitted to hospital for people of different ages, and for males and females.
In 2023/24 Salford had 23 people admitted to hospital due to alcohol every week, or 1,185 in total. The level of admissions increased in the last year but remains at a similar level to England overall. The rate is lower than previous years except 2022/23 and is more than 20% lower than 2019/20. This calculation considers only the main reason for each admission (the primary diagnosis) and the role alcohol plays in such diagnoses.
Salford has seen a fall in alcohol-related hospital admissions in recent years to a level that is now similar to the national rate.
[Download the admissions episodes data, csv format, 1kb]
Alcohol related admissions in Salford are three times higher for males than females and more than six times higher for middle aged and older residents than the under 40s.
National data shows that admissions are highest in more deprived areas, this is despite people living in deprived areas being twice as likely to never drink alcohol as those in the least deprived areas, and there being no variation in levels of at-risk drinking by area deprivation. In Salford, ward level data shows Pendleton and Charlestown has the highest level of admissions with a rate more than double the national and Quays ward is lowest with half the national level of admissions.
Across Salford’s wards rates of alcohol related hospital admission vary considerably, with Pendleton and Charlestown highest and Quays lowest.
[Download the hospital admissions data, csv format, 1kb]
Another broader measure of alcohol related hospital admissions considers all the health problems associated by each admission (primary and secondary diagnoses), rather than just the main reason for the admission. This can give a better overall level of the burden placed on the NHS but is subject to changes to how things are recorded over time. On this second measure, until 2020/21 Salford had an admission level that was consistently one of two highest in England. Since then, there has a been a fall of 14% or one-in-seven fewer alcohol related admissions. The level is currently equivalent to 15 admissions per day, or over 5,400 per year.
The overall cost to society of this broader measure of alcohol related hospital admissions in Salford was calculated to be over £14 million in 2020/21 or around £66 per head of population, £17 higher than the national average.
For many adults, alcohol consumption is a not an issue, either because they do not drink at all or drink at a level that doesn’t significantly impact their health or wellbeing. Others may be drinking at a level that increases their longer-term risk of conditions including heart disease or cancer. As with most activities drinking alcohol carries a risk. It can negatively impact on many aspects of our lives including sleep, mood, weight and digestion.
The Chief Medical Officer guidelines on alcohol consumption state that to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. This should be spread out over at least three days. The guidance also states that if you wish to cut down the amount you drink, a good way to help achieve this is to have several drink-free days each week. Pregnant women should not drink at all, to keep risks to their baby to a minimum.
Salford Royal Hospital has specialist alcohol and drug nurses offering advice within an A&E setting and on the wards. They provide person-centred, evidence-based, holistic care which is appropriate to the individual. This includes initiating medicated alcohol detoxification when required and linking patients with other services or agencies when it is needed.