Health leaders have signed an open letter to the first and deputy ministers of Northern Ireland calling for ‘urgent action’ after figures released last week showed an 80 per cent increase in alcohol-specific deaths in the space of a decade.
The Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA), which includes more than 60 charities, medical royal colleges and treatment providers, expressed ‘deep concern’ at the at the almost 400 alcohol-specific deaths registered in 2024 – the highest number ever recorded. ‘Decisive, evidence-based action’ was now needed to prevent more avoidable deaths, it said.
The figures highlight ‘stark inequalities’, the letter states, with deaths in the most deprived areas almost four times higher than in the least deprived, and nearly two thirds of deaths registered among men. ‘We believe the publication of these latest figures underlines the growing urgency of effective, decisive policy action to prevent avoidable deaths and reduce alcohol-related harm,’ the letter states.
Scotland and Wales have both voted to continue with MUP and increase it to 65p per unit, while MUP has also been in place in the Republic of Ireland since 2022.
‘It’s Northern Ireland’s shame that alcohol deaths are at an all-time high,’ said chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists NI’s addictions faculty Dr Joy Watson. ‘The fact that MUP could reduce deaths is an obvious public health measure that should not be delayed. We seem to be way behind when it comes to adopting a sensible policy to cut alcohol-related harm in NI, and it’s about time we kept up pace. The government need to listen to medical experts as MUP could save lives and cut NHS costs. There is no hidden agenda – only public health gain.’
‘The evidence is clear that minimum unit pricing reduces consumption and saves lives, particularly in the communities that suffer the greatest levels of alcohol harm,’ added AHA chair Professor Sir Ian Gilmore. ‘With deaths rising and inequalities widening, the need for decisive action has never been more urgent.’