Health implications of alcohol to Londoners

In light of growing hospital admissions and ambulance call-outs related to alcohol in London, and the Mayors continued work to address the health implications of alcohol to Londoners, the Assembly would like the Mayor to look more closely at reducing the strain of alcohol to our emergency services. Recently the Soho Alcohol Recovery Centre (SARC) and the Booze Bus programme have significantly reduced their operation in London, with the SARC remaining closed since 2013. These services provided a simple and safe alternative to having intoxicated patients overwhelm London’s ambulances and A&E departments. Their benefits include savings in time, costs and distraction to our health workers. The Mayor is requested to work with the NHS and the Government to save and extend such programmes to help keep emergency services focused on truly time-critical life-threatening emergencies.