Published: Wednesday, 11th June, 2008 12:00
Shock rise in drunken kids rushed to hospital
By Jamie MacDonald
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Chief executive Fiona Mackenzie said NHS Forth Valley is committed to reducing unhealthy drinking patterns.
Pic by: NHS Forth Valley
SCOTTISH Government figures have shown that more youngsters from Clackmannanshire were taken to hospital last year with acute alcohol related illnesses than anywhere else in Forth Valley.
Sixteen under-18s from the Wee County were taken to hospital as an emergency admission in 2006/07, compared with 13 in Falkirk and 10 in Stirling – and the figures do not include cases where alcohol misuse was suspected but unconfirmed.
Last year’s total is far higher than previous years when there were six admissions in 2005/06 and four in 2004/05.
In Clackmannanshire last weekend police confiscated 72 litres of alcohol over the course of Friday and Saturday nights from people – many under 18 – who were drinking in public.
And three weeks ago, a 14-year-old boy was taken to hospital suffering from the affects of too much drink after being found outside Tillicoultry Primary School.
Fiona Mackenzie, chief executive of NHS Forth Valley and chair of the Substance Action Team, told the Advertiser, “Sadly it is no longer rare to see a child being brought into our accident and emergency department with acute intoxication. Although most Scots drink alcohol sensibly, there can be no doubt that excess drinking is on the increase, especially amongst young people, including children.”
Ms Mackenzie explained that NHS Forth Valley is committed to working towards reducing unhealthy drinking patterns and the culture of accepting drunkenness.
She added, “Drinking alcohol at a young age can lead to becoming alcohol dependent before reaching adulthood and can cause long term problems, with life limiting outcomes.”
The Substance Action Team (SAT) – a partnership working together to reduce substance abuse – includes the three local authorities in Forth Valley, Central Scotland Police, the Scottish Prison Service and voluntary organisations and NHS Forth Valley.
The SAT sponsors a multi-agency approach to addressing the problems of alcohol misuse in Forth Valley and work includes informed decisions of licensing boards, promoting sensible approaches to drinking and developing the easily accessed services for those who recognise they need help with their problem.
Councillor Kenneth Earle, vice convener of Clackmannanshire’s Licensing Board, said, “We need to start looking at the social aspects, similar to the continent where there is a more sensible attitude and relaxed atmosphere towards drinking.
“Not that there aren’t any problems abroad but it is not on the same scale, especially in the last 10 years, where there has been a massive rise in teenagers drinking.”
He added, “I think the problem is not so much the amount of teenagers who are drinking, but more their access to alcohol.
“The licensing board takes an extremely dim view when an offender is brought before us and they can have their licence suspended.”
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