20/03/2008

GRAHAME HAILS RECORD £700,000 FUNDING TO TACKLE BORDERS ALCOHOL MISUSE

The Scottish Government has confirmed the Borders will receive over £700,000 of funding to help tackle alcohol misuse in the region. The funding is considerably higher than previous attempts by the former Lib/Lab coalition Government to tackle alcohol misuse and has been welcomed by SNP MSP Christine Grahame as a “very positive step” in reducing the number of alcohol related admissions to the Borders General Hospital. Ms Grahame, who last year highlighted that the number of admissions to the BGH over the past 10 years related to alcohol misuse had doubled said:

“The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to reversing the growing trend in alcohol misuse we are seeing across Scotland and which has led directly to the doubling of hospital admissions in the past 10 years.

“The Borders is set to receive over £700,000 of a £25m package that will provide for additional alcohol screening, prevention and treatment services increasing the current provision by 100 percent.

“Over the next three years the Government has allocated an additional £85million to tackle the growing scourge of alcohol misuse as part of a long term strategy that will see marked difference in our communities.

“We are faced with a growing problem that if left unchecked will place massive additional burdens on our health and emergency services. We have more than doubled the amount of funding available under the previous coalition Government in recognition of the fact that tackling this problem is a top priority for this SNP Government.”

“Sadly, over the course of the past 10 years, we have seen more than 40 deaths in the Borders as a direct result from alcoholic liver disease. Other alcohol related problems such as anti-social behaviour, domestic violence and criminal assaults place additional pressures on public resources and so this is a major investment to tackle the problems associated with excessive drinking that will see benefits across a broad spectrum of our society.”

SNP It’s time.....