Oldham’s £3m share of anti-booze pot

OLDHAM is to share £3million of Government funding to tackle alcohol misuse.

Oldham Primary Care Trust (PCT) is one of 20 of the most deprived areas sharing the cash. It will receive £150,000 to help identify harmful and hazardous drinkers in hospital and offer them appropriate treatment and support.

The money will also enable more probation and criminal justice staff to help offenders who have hazardous levels of drinking and refer an increased number of offenders drinking at harmful levels into further treatment.

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo announced a £6m Alcohol Improvement Programme to tackle what she described as a serious problem that needs urgent attention. The scheme will put a number of measures in place to reduce alcohol-related harm.

These will include establishing regional alcohol managers, compiling local information on statistics, hospital admissions and medical conditions, increasing specialist treatment. In Oldham, it is estimated there are nearly 74,000 people who either binge drink, whose drinking levels are harmful or are dependent on alcohol.

Debra Malone, associate director of public health with Oldham PCT, said: “Research suggests Oldham is still above average for alcohol-related harm indicators, so this new investment will help to improve the support we provide for people who have drinking problems.”