Worcestershire Health and Well-being Board Worcestershire Alcohol Plan

Context: Public Health White Paper Radical shifts in the way that public health challenges are tackled; Transactional such as HWB Board; transfer of responsibilities to WCC; Transformational, focus on - Empowering individuals to make healthy choices; Giving communities the tools to address their own particular needs; Widening responsibility for health across society. 2

Alcohol key facts Large numbers of people drinking too much: 82,312 drinking at increasing risk to health; 22,810 drinking at higher risk to health; Significantly worse than national average: County under 18s hospital admissions; Redditch and Worcs City males a/s hospital admissions; Redditch, Wyre Forest, Worcester City a/r violent crime; Alcohol attributable hospital admission rates and alcohol related sexual offences have an upward trend; Need to scale up and improve. 3

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Consultation Board asked for consultation on wider views; 19 – 25 th November launched Big Drink Debate, radio, surveys, graffiti board; HWB Board stakeholder event, 45 attendees; Over 400 views; Officer group met to identify key themes; Formed basis of this high level plan with 3 over- arching aims; Following today, will work into detailed actions, responsibilities and timeframes. 5

Aim A: empowering individuals to take responsibility for own and families drinking habits Prepare educational materials for use in range of settings; Deliver programme of targeted campaigns; Scale up training for front line staff; Supporting volunteering activities for those who have been problematic drinkers in the past. 6

Aim B: creating a community environment where sensible drinking is the norm. Engage with national consultation on minimum pricing; Maximise new opportunities under Licensing Act; Develop HIA process with alcohol harm as one element; Maximise consideration of alcohol impact in the planning process; Support alcohol free venues; Use the opportunity of renewing 6,000 personal licenses in 2015 to empower licensees to create a safer drinking environment; Support Responsibility Deal signatories and promote the initiative with local business; Develop pilot accreditation schemes such as Purple flag. 7

Aim C: improving treatment and rehabilitation services Review pathways for joined up working; Maximise user and local community involvement in service planning and review; Ensure all health interventions include robustly addressing alcohol intake; Review engagement with housing providers; Review intervention pathways for offenders throughout the criminal justice system. 8

Next steps Forming an Alcohol Action Group to develop the operational plan from these high level aims; Plan to have a clear line of accountability across agencies; Progress to be measured through HWB Strategy indicators such as alcohol related crime, and hospital admissions; as well as lower level ones such as under 18s admissions; Shaping a new approach to unsafe drinking, founded on empowered personal responsibility; a healthy environment where safe drinking is the norm; and improved treatment services for those who need them; Update report to Board during 13/14. 9