Liver disease deaths in England up
25 per cent in less than a decade
More people are dying from liver disease than ever before,
according to new figures from the National End of Life
Care Intelligence Network.
Deaths from liver disease: implications for end of life care
in England
shows a 25 per cent increase in deaths from liver
disease between 2001 and 2009, from just over 9,200 to
more than 11,500.
Around 90 per cent of people who die from liver disease are
under 70, with the disease accounting for more than one in ten
deaths of people in their 40s. Alcohol-related liver disease
accounted for 37 per cent of all liver disease deaths – 30 per
cent among women and 41 per cent among men. Just 28 per
cent of alcohol-related liver disease deaths occurred in the least
deprived areas, compared to 44 per cent in the most deprived.
‘The key drivers for increasing numbers of deaths from liver
disease are all preventable, such as alcohol, obesity, hepatitis C
and hepatitis B,’ said national clinical director for liver disease,
professor Martin Lombard. ‘We must focus our efforts and
tackle this problem sooner rather than later.’ People were also
being diagnosed late in their condition, said British Liver Trust
chief executive Andrew Langford, exposing the ‘inadequacies
in our healthcare system in identifying patients early and the
lack of will to invest in prevention strategies’.
A separate report from the Office for National Statistics
(ONS) found that people aged 45 and above were three times
more likely to drink every day than those under 45 – 13 per cent
compared to 4 per cent. Among over-65s, 22 per cent of men
drank almost every day compared to 3 per cent of 16-24 year-
olds, while 12 per cent of women over 65 drank almost every
day compared to 1 per cent of 16-24 year-olds. Younger adults
were more likely to have drunk heavily in the previous week,
however, with 24 per cent of men aged 16-24, and 25 per cent
aged 25-44, having drunk more than eight units in a single day.
Liver disease report at www.endoflifecareforadults.nhs.uk
ONS General lifestyle survey overview report available at
www.ons.gov.uk
April 2012 |
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Round-up
Successful treatment programmes
‘cut offending by half’
The number of crimes committed by known drug-
dependent offenders fell by nearly half after successful
completion of a drug treatment programme, according to
research published by the NTA.
The impact of drug treatment on reconviction
– the
largest ever empirical study in England on drug treatment
and crime rates, according to the agency – compared data
from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System
(NDTMS) with conviction records from the police national
computer for around 20,000 offenders who began
treatment in 2006-07. The study matched conviction rates
from the two years before, and after, entering treatment
and found convictions fell by 47-48 per cent for those who
completed treatment successfully after six months or were
retained for up to two years. While previous studies have
found similar results, they were based on self-reported
crime rather than actual convictions, the NTA points out.
However, just over half dropped out of treatment during
the two years after their assessment, with the fall in convic-
tions among those retained in treatment three times greater
than among those who dropped out. The biggest reduction
in offences was for thefts, which fell by 11,000. Convictions
for soliciting, fraud and forgery also fell sharply.
‘This research shows not only that the longer someone is
retained in drug treatment, the bigger the drop in convictions,
but that similar crime reduction benefits are gained from the
increasing number of people who are successfully completing
treatment and sustaining their recovery in the community,’
said NTA chief executive Paul Hayes.
Meanwhile, plans to reform community sentences to
ensure they are ‘tough and credible’ have been announced by
justice secretary Ken Clarke. They include ‘intensive
community punishment’ sentences such as unpaid work,
greater use of exclusions and monitoring, new powers for
bailiffs to seize possessions, and a trial scheme to ban people
convicted of alcohol-related crime from drinking, using new
monitoring technology such as so-called ‘sobriety bracelets’.
'All too often community sentences are seen as an easy
option, sometimes just a weekly meeting with a probation
officer,’ said Ken Clarke. ‘This is inadequate.’ The
government is consulting on the proposals, along with
reforms to the probation service, until 22 June.
Turning Point welcomed the government’s attempts to
reduce reoffending but pointed out that the move comes at
a time when funding for ‘one of the most successful
community sentences, the Drug Intervention Programme, is
entering a stage of uncertainty’ with several bodies,
including police and crime commissioners, due to oversee its
commissioning. ‘It will be the continuing success of
community sentences like the Drug Intervention Programme
which provide a litmus test as to the effectiveness of the
government’s rehabilitation revolution,’ said director of
substance misuse services, Selina Douglas. DrugScope has
produced a new briefing on police and crime commissioners,
in association with Safer Future Communities.
The NTA also wants to hear views from the sector on
proposals to introduce new codes to NDTMS to record
additional discharge data specifically for residential treatment
providers, who feel that the current codes do not reflect the
care pathways for people who finish treatment at residential
rehabs. Have your say at www.nta.nhs.uk before 9 April.
DrugScope briefing at www.drugscope.org.uk
The impact of drug treatment on reconviction available
at www.nta.nhs.uk
Ministry of Justice consultation at /consult.justice.gov.uk/
digital-communications/effective-community-services-1
FAMILY FACTS
A new briefing drawing together the
findings from three pieces of research on
support for family members has been
issued by the UK Drug Policy Commission
(UKDPC). The forgotten carers: support for
adult family members affected by a
relative’s drug problems calls for better
workforce development, more integration
of specialist and generic services and
improved needs assessment. Available at
www.ukdpc.org.uk. See our family features,
starting on page 8.
ON TARGET
Two new projects from Lancashire Drug and
Alcohol Action Team (LDAAT), DRIVE (de-
livering recovery in volunteering environ-
ments) and BRiC (building recovery in
communities) are designed to help people
rebuild their lives through education,
volunteering and employment. The launch
took the form of a Lancashire-wide football
tournament between service users, staff
and community groups. ‘It was great to see
so many people coming together to
celebrate recovery from substance misuse
across Lancashire,’ said the Mayor of
Pendle, cllr Nadeem Ahmed (above).
ALARMING STATISTICS
More than one in four women in European
and Central Asian prisons are there for drugs
offences, according to a report from Harm
Reduction International (HRI). The figure can
be as high as 70 per cent in some countries,
says Cause for alarm: the incarceration of
women for drug offences in Europe and
Central Asia, and the need for legislative and
sentencing reform. Over 31,000 women
across Europe and Central Asia are imprison-
ed for drug offences, says the report, 20,000
of whom are in Russia – more than twice as
many as all EU countries combined. ‘Women
are disproportionately facing prison for non-
violent drug offences, often as a result of
poverty and social marginalisation,’ said
report author.
www.ihra.net
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