Confirmed speakers include:
• Ann Milton MP, Public Health Minister
• Simon Antrobus, Chief Executive, Addaction
• Eric Appleby, Chief Executive, Alcohol Concern
• Alan Higgins, Director of Public Health, NHS Oldham and Oldham Council
• Gail Priddy, Deputy Director, Haringey Advisory Group on Alcohol (HAGA)
• Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability, British Retail Consortium

 • Dr John Holmes, Section of Public Health, Sheffield University 

Alcohol misuse costs the NHS £2.7 billion every year (or £90 for every taxpayer). The number of alcohol-related hospital admissions has nearly doubled in under a decade as binge drinking has exploded as a social problem.  Last year there were 200,000 hospital admissions caused primarily by alcohol, a 40 per cent rise in the past decade. Some believe that the cost to society as a whole – when factors like lawlessness and worklessness are added in – total in the region of £17 billion.
This conference will examine the huge opportunities for local government to adopt health improvement as a core objective in their plans and services.

Councils will be charged with commissioning not just public health prevention programmes for alcohol misuse, but the full range of alcohol services out of the ring-fenced public health budget. Successful reform will encourage and enable innovation in healthcare and lead to more positive outcomes for local people.

Plenary sessions will feature contributions from key figures from local and national government and from the drinks industry. Workshop sessions will explore how councils can work together to tackle alcohol misuse and highlight interventions that are working best.
 

Book your place online at www.local.gov.uk/events