Shock report lifts the lid on nation's great health divide

Published on Tuesday 24 June 2008 22:46

HIGH rates of hospital admissions linked to alcohol have been found across Scotland, according to a new report showing wide variations in people's health around the country.

In one of the most detailed ever breakdowns of the health of the nation, north Glasgow had the highest rate of alcohol- related admissions, closely followed by the Western Isles.

But rates were almost six-fold higher in some areas compared to those with the lowest levels, revealing the extent of Scotland's health inequalities.

The statistics come a week after the Scottish Government launched its strategy to tackle alcohol problems, including increasing prices in shops.

The report, by the Scottish Public Health Observatory, focused on key indicators of health across Scotland's 40 Community Health Partnerships (CHPs), set up to help health boards and local councils work together to tackle health issues.

One indicator focused on hospital admissions linked to alcohol, including estimates of road accidents associated with alcohol and other factors.

Across Scotland, 860 people per 100,000 were hospitalised due to alcohol. But this rose to 1,505 in East Glasgow and 1,450 in the Western Isles.

In one smaller area of the East Glasgow CHP – called Parkhead West and Barrowfield – the rate rose to 3,109 per 100,000.

In comparison, just 521 admissions per 100,000 were reported in East Dunbartonshire, which includes Milngavie.

Evelyn Gillan, from Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), said the figures highlighted the scale of the difficulties facing Scotland.

"They show that we need to tackle the problem across the whole of society," she said.

"These admissions are not just about people with chronic alcohol problems. They reinforce the need for measures that will target the whole population."

The report also revealed wide variations in life expectancy.

Male life expectancy was lowest in North Glasgow, which includes Drumchapel, at 67.9 years. Surprisingly, the highest life expectancy was found just a few miles away in East Dunbartonshire at 77.3. For women, life expectancy was also lowest in North Glasgow at 75.1, rising to a high of 81.2 in Orkney.

The report also revealed that the rate of people admitted to hospital with heart disease ranged from 501 per 100,000 in Dumfries and Galloway to 1,010 in Inverclyde.

And another key health indicator – breast-feeding – also varied widely, from just 14.3 per cent of babies being exclusively breast-fed at six to eight weeks in East Glasgow, rising to 42.5 per cent in Edinburgh.

Dr Colin Fischbacher, a consultant in public health medicine at ISD Scotland who led the project, said some of the variations were stark. He added: "What we are also getting is a more detailed picture of the damage from alcohol. It is a situation that is getting worse."

Ross Finnie, Liberal Democrat health spokesman, said action was needed to target areas in greatest need of help. He said: "It is illogical to plough the same amount of investment across Scotland, when the problem of alcohol misuse is so varied."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Tackling alcohol misuse is a priority. We launched our discussion paper which contains a robust package of measures and have allocated over 120 million to tackling alcohol misuse."