Key issues
Hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions are high and increasing.
The rate of hospital admissions alcohol-specific conditions in North Tyneside are over double the England average and are the 4th highest at local authority level nationally. Whilst the national rate has seen a decrease since 2021/22, locally admissions are continuing to increase.
There has been an increase in alcohol-specific mortality since the COVID19 pandemic.
In North Tyneside there was an increase in the alcohol-specific mortality rates in the year 2020, which has remained high, and not returned to pre-pandemic levels. These rates are worse than the England average, but are in line with the regional average, with North Tyneside in the middle of the rankings with regional neighbours.
There are higher levels of alcohol misuse in vulnerable groups.
Certain groups in society who may be more vulnerable to alcohol harm appear to have higher levels of alcohol misuse. This includes young people, carers, people with mental health conditions and older adults.
The number of individuals with alcohol dependence in alcohol treatment are impacted by several barriers.
Treatment services within North Tyneside have largely received referrals for new individuals and cater well to those who are referred with a significant proportion leaving treatment successfully. However, three quarters of those with alcohol dependence are not in alcohol treatment, leading to unmet need. Many of the barriers to accessing treatment are individual factors and work with people with lived experience in North Tyneside identified that they have to feel ready to address their dependence before they access services.