In England, alcohol is now the leading cause of premature death and ill-health for people aged 15 to 49, and alcohol-related deaths are at the highest number ever recorded. Evidence shows that quality treatment services can save lives and are cost-effective. For every £1 spent on treatment, the return is £3 in savings, rising to £26 over ten years. Despite this, most people struggling with problematic alcohol use aren’t receiving treatment. Chronic underfunding, and fragmented services have left us without an effective approach to addressing alcohol-related harms across our healthcare services.

There is a clear need for a health systems response to addressing alcohol-related harms. But why is such a response more urgent than ever, how have reforms to healthcare services contributed to a worsening situation, what can government and the NHS do, and why should such a response to alcohol harm be an essential part of the Labour government’s mission to rebuild Britain? [23 minutes]