TREATING patients admitted to hospital as a result of alcohol abuse in South Worcestershire cost the taxpayer more than £3 million in 2012-13.

Figures released by charity Alcohol Concern showed the cost of treating inpatients for drink-related conditions in the region was £3,128,000 – slightly lower than the regional average across the Midlands but almost 20 times more than the cost of treating breast cancer in South Worcestershire.

The figures also showed 48,753 people went to one of the region’s hospitals with alcohol related conditions, with the greatest amount of attendances at A&E at Worcestershire Royal Hospital or Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital.

It was also revealed 136 people – 83 men and 52 women – in South Worcestershire died as a result of alcohol-related diseases in the same period and one in five people in the region were drinking so much their health was being put at risk.

Across the country almost 10 million hospital admissions were recorded at NHS hospitals in 2012-13.

The charity’s chief executive Jackie Ballard said the NHS was under “intolerable” strain from alcohol-related illnesses.

“This is not just from readily-identifiable causes such as A&E visits and admissions for liver disease, but from a significant number of other conditions in which alcohol plays a major, but often underappreciated part,” she said.

“We need to ensure adequate alcohol care pathways are prioritised and appropriate services are put in place to ease this burden.

“However, we also urgently need action to prevent alcohol misuse, the first and most effective of which is for the government to implement a minimum unit price, which has the potential to save the economy millions, and most importantly save lives."

Sian Warmer, services manager at CRI, a charity which supports people with alcohol problems across the county, said: "These figures show the prevalence of risky alcohol use and problems with drinking in Worcester.

"We work very closely with hospitals in Worcester, including A&E departments, to identify individuals who are drinking at unsafe levels so we can signpost them into our specialist support services.

"Not only does this support busy hospital staff, it provides treatment and advice to people at a time when they're feeling the negative effects of their drinking and are potentially more open to thinking about cutting down or stopping.

"It's important to understand there's a fine line between drinking socially and slipping into dependency. "Dependency can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of age or social background.

"Therefore we need to always be aware of how much we're drinking and to recognise when that third glass of wine or pint at the end of the day is becoming all too familiar.

"If you're drinking more regularly, are hungover more frequently and you start craving alcohol during the day, that's the point at which you should ask for advice, so your next night out doesn't end in a hospital."

For more information about CRI visit cri.org.uk or to view Alcohol Concern's statistics visit alcoholconcern.org.uk/campaign/alcohol-harm-map.