RCP: Professor Gilmore responds to the Home Office's proposals for new alcohol sales regulations

Tuesday, 19 January 2010 12:00 AM

"The College supports the principle of a mandatory code governing the sale of alcohol. A number of studies have shown evidence of continuing poor practice, such as serving the underage and the obviously drunk. Given the manifest failure of industry-led standards to address the problem of rising drink-related harms we believe this is a positive move forward. However, by focussing exclusively on bars and nightclubs the Home Office fails to tackle some of the main causes of the problems we are seeing in our neighbourhoods; revellers drunk on cheap supermarket and off-license alcohol, having 'pre-loaded' at home before their nights out. A wider strategy that tackles both irresponsibly cheap deals as well as poor bar management is urgently needed."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For further information, or to bid for an interview with an RCP spokesman, please contact Frank Soodeen on 0203 075 1468, Linda Cuthbertson on 0203 075 1254 or Zoe Horwich on 0203 075 1354.

As well as being President of the Royal College of Physicians, Professor Ian Gilmore is also Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK.

Copies of the RCP/NHS Confederation Report, Too Much of the hard stuff: What alcohol costs the NHS (released earlier this month) are available for download here:
http://www.nhsconfed.org/Publications/briefings/Pages/What-alcohol-costs-the-NHS.aspx

A copy of the AHA Briefing The mandatory code - frequently asked questions can be downloaded here: http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/About-the-college/work-with-us/Documents/Policy%20Briefing%20Aug%2009%20-%20Mandatory%20Code.pdf

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