Speaking during questions to the First Minister yesterday afternoon, William Graham AM called on the Welsh Assembly Government to examine the case for charging people who are under the influence of alcohol for the treatment they receive at hospital accidents and emergency units.
‘With the latest Public Health Observatory Wales figures showing that the number of people admitted to hospital with alcohol related problems hit a ten year high in 2009 (40,200) and stories of abuse of NHS workers by drunk figuring prominently in AMs’ correspondence and local newspapers there is a clear need for a proactive stance to be taken on the issue.’
The Conservative AM for South Wales East added:
‘The number of drink related cases in hospitals has doubled in the past ten years. The idea of charging drunk and abusive patients has support from a number of bodies representing both patients and medical professionals, as does the proposal to make it compulsory for such patients to attend alcohol awareness classes. This is a rough proposal that deserves Government attention and any implementation of the scheme would need to be carefully thought out so that people who suffer genuine accidents having been drinking and are not abusive do not suffer any penalty. Nonetheless I would argue that there is a clear case for charging, or at least imposing a tougher line on people who are drunk and abusive at A & E units, allowing dedicated health workers’ time and NHS resources to be directed towards legitimate patients.’
