More than one in 20 hospital admissions are now fuelled by alcohol, new figures show, with almost a million cases a year.

The statistics from NHS Digital show 976,429 admissions in 2019/20 which were linked to alcohol – a 16 per cent rise from 841,760 in 2016/17.

The figures represent all admissions to hospital in England where the primary or secondary reason was linked to alcohol. 

This includes conditions such as liver disease and pancreatitis, as well as accidents and injuries linked to heavy drinking, and conditions such as cancer and heart disease which were thought to be fuelled by alcohol.

In total such cases made up 5.7 per cent of all hospital admissions in England, the statistics show.

In cases where alcohol was the main cause, those aged 55 to 64 were most likely to be admitted, followed by those aged 45 to 54.

When all conditions linked to alcohol were assessed, admissions were most common among those aged 65 to 74.

Dr Tony Rao, a researcher in alcohol use and dementia at King’s College, said the trends were likely to be “compounded” by the pandemic.

He highlighted separate figures suggesting an extra 600,000 people falling into addiction, with a 50 per cent rise among those aged 65 and over.

He said: “Baby boomers drinking behind closed doors are of particular concern, given their increased risk of both physical disorders and dementia”

Dr Rao said many people had used alcohol as a way of dealing with feelings of isolation, leaving some to fall into the grip of alcohol addiction.

UK ‘needs alcohol strategy’ to reduce harm

New figures also show that the number of prescriptions for drugs to treat dependence have continued to rise. The figures covering 2020/21 show 166,590 prescriptions issued, up from 164,242 the year before.

Last summer a study funded by Cancer Research UK found the number of women drinking at “high-risk” levels rose by 55 per cent during the first lockdown, with a 31 per cent increase among men.

Dr Alison Giles, chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said: “The rise in hospital admissions due to alcohol shows the increasing need for a comprehensive alcohol strategy in the UK to reduce harm. Sadly, it is likely that the impact the pandemic has had on drinking habits will have only increased this harm and need for hospital treatment.”