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Objectives: We explored the early impact of changes to the UK alcohol tax system, implemented in August 2023, on the strength and price of alcoholic products available for sale on the website of the largest supermarket in England., Study Design: Our comparative descriptive study using longitudinal brand-level data was not preregistered and should be considered exploratory., Methods: Data were collected weekly (May to October 2023) using automated web scraping tools. Outcomes were product strength (% alcohol by volume [ABV]) and price (per 10 mL of pure alcohol and per litre of product). We undertook paired t-tests, two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, and quantile regression to compare outcomes before and after the tax changes. Beer, cider, spirits, and ready-to-drinks (RTDs) were analysed separately., Results: There was a reduction in the mean strength of beer, driven by manufacturers reformulating a small number of weaker beers, moving them into a lower tax band (<3.5%ABV). The mean price per 10 mL of alcohol and per litre of product was significantly higher after the new tax system for beer, cider, and spirits and significantly lower for RTDs. Increases in the price of beer tended to occur across the entire distribution, whereas increases in the price of cider occurred among more expensive products., Conclusions: Changes to product strength tended to occur among weaker products near the new lowest tax band, suggesting tax bands may be a potential stimulus for change. Reformulation of stronger products would have better public health potential. Longer term monitoring, including data on purchasing/consumption, is required., (Crown Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Minimum unit pricing (MUP) was recently introduced in Ireland to reduce alcohol-related harms. The size of the impact of alcohol on hospital emergency departments (EDs) in Ireland is poorly understood due to inconsistent alcohol screening and documentation., Aims: We sought to systematically characterise the volume, timing, and nature of alcohol-related presentations and admissions to a busy urban ED in Dublin, Ireland., Method: Patients presenting to the ED were assessed by a dedicated clinician during selected time periods before (Nov-Dec 2021) and after (Feb-Apr 2022) the introduction of MUP. A total of 725 interviews were conducted over 168 h in the ED., Findings: Alcohol consumption was a factor in 19.4% of ED presentations and in 17.3% of hospital admissions across the entire study period. A reduction in overall alcohol-related ED presentations was noted in the period following MUP, although it is not possible to conclude a direct effect., Conclusion: Alcohol-related harm places a significant strain on EDs and hospitals, and the impact of MUP on hospital burden in Ireland merits further evaluation. Effective measures at local and population levels are urgently required to address this burden., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study ascertains the views of UK stakeholders on the actual, and possible, impact of a public health licensing objective in their day-to-day work., Study Design and Methods: Twenty-eight interviews were conducted with members of public health teams who were actively engaged in alcohol licensing in their local area between 2017 and 2019. Six teams were based in Scotland (where there is a public health licensing objective) and 14 in England (where there is no similar objective)., Results: Scottish participants reported that while challenges remained in applying the public health licensing objective, progress had been made and the objective was beneficial to their work. Participants in England felt that an objective would increase the legitimacy, value and impact of their contributions. In both Scotland and England, constructive relationships between PHTs, licensing authorities and other key stakeholders were developing suggesting that PHTs could have a sustainable and positive role in licensing., Conclusions: In many Scottish areas, the alcohol licensing system is evolving to take constructive account of its public health objective. In England, PHTs that have invested resources in engaging in this area have demonstrated an ability to work effectively within licensing systems. Strong support for the adoption of a public health licensing objective among these PHTs adds weights to calls for the UK Government to reconsider its previous decision not to introduce such an objective., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Community pharmacy teams are recognised by health agencies as vital to increasing capacity in the provision of public health services. Public awareness and support of these services in general, and relating to safe alcohol consumption in particular, have yet to be established. This study aimed to determine the Scottish general public's views regarding the role and involvement of community pharmacists in reducing alcohol consumption amongst customers and alcohol-related harm., Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 6000 adults in Scotland randomly sampled from the electoral register. The piloted questionnaire contained items on: those health professions which could potentially advise on safer alcohol consumption; areas of safer alcohol consumption on which pharmacists could advise; attitudes towards pharmacist involvement; and demographics., Results: Of the 1573 respondents (a 26.6% response rate), more than half (56.4%, 888) agreed that pharmacists could advise on safer alcohol consumption. Those agreeing expressed high levels of support (≥70% agreement) for all activities, particularly referring people to other individuals or organisations, discussing recommended alcohol consumption limits and how consumption may affect health. There was a high level of agreement of trust that pharmacists would discuss issues confidentially (68.7%, 1080), with a similar proportion (64.3%, 1011) agreeing that they would be concerned over privacy in a community pharmacy., Conclusion: Public support exists for pharmacist involvement in reducing alcohol consumption amongst customers and alcohol-related harm, with some concern over privacy. These findings warrant consideration as models of practice are developed and evaluated. Given the widespread availability of pharmacies and the ease of access to professional advice, there is potential for pharmacists to impact safer alcohol consumption although the efficacy of alcohol brief interventions remains to be demonstrated., (Copyright © 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)