Scottish A&Es treat 100 drunk children a week
Children as young as eight are turning up for emergency care at Scotland’s hospitals as a result of drinking alcohol. On average these children will have consumed 13 units of alcohol, equal to almost seven pints of beer.
These are among the shocking findings of an audit for NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, led by Dr Bill Morrison, a consultant in A&E at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee. It is one of five investigations carried out over the past two years to determine the effect of alcohol on Scottish A&E departments.
The final report, launched on 30 April, includes a series of recommendations for the Scottish Government in an attempt to reverse what Dr Morrison called Scotland’s “bevvy culture”.
Kids on a bender
In the six-week period of his study, almost 650 youngsters (over 100 a week) were admitted to emergency departments in all stages of intoxication – from "giggly and silly" through abusive to near death.
Many had also taken illegal drugs, some solely with the intention of harming themselves, and about a quarter had been assaulted.
Dr Morrison said: "They need the same management as someone who has come in poisoned from prescription medication. They need close monitoring. They may need intubating. Usually, at this stage, they're unconscious. They have fallen over, probably injured themselves, and are incapable of spontaneous movement."
Among the findings:
- 27 per cent (34,441) of attendances at A&E during the audit period were by young people with almost two per cent (669 attendances) presenting with alcohol as a factor.
- 633 patients (98 per cent) were aged 13 to 17. The remaining 15 (two per cent) were between eight and 12. The median age was 16.
- Males (54 per cent) were slightly more likely than females to present having consumed alcohol.
- On average these children had consumed 13 alcohol units in the 24 hours before attendance.
- 22 per cent reported misusing substances other than alcohol in the 24 hours before attendance, the drug of choice being ecstasy (29 per cent).
- 14 per cent of presentations were associated with self-harm, involving slightly more females than males.
Read the final report: Understanding alcohol msuse in Scotland - harmful drinking (PDF, 888KB)