Alcohol report revised after scrutiny by statistics watchdog

author: FutureCar Staff    

Public Health Scotland has made updates to a report on minimum unit pricing (MUP) after a complaint was filed by the Scottish Conservatives with the UK statistics watchdog. The complaint accused Scottish ministers of selectively choosing statistics to present a positive image of the policy's impact on alcohol-related deaths and hospital admissions. The report, published in June, found that alcohol deaths decreased by over 10% and hospital admissions linked to alcohol consumption fell by 4.1% following the implementation of the MUP policy in May 2018.

The UK Statistics Authority conducted a review and stated that the findings in the report were communicated clearly and impartially. However, it noted that the wording may have given the impression that "most or all" of the studies mentioned in the report provided evidence on alcohol-related harms, when in reality there were only eight studies. As a result, the Public Health Scotland (PHS) report did not include information about the level of uncertainty associated with the reductions in hospital admissions and deaths.

PHS has since updated its summarised document to clarify that the reductions in alcohol sales, deaths, and hospitalisations are "estimates". However, PHS emphasized that these updates were only minor and did not change the final report or its interpretation of the findings. Dr. Sandesh Gulhane, health spokesman for the Scottish Tories, criticized the Scottish Government for manipulating data and pressuring PHS to alter its report to support their position on MUP.

The Scottish Government responded by stating that the evaluation conducted by Public Health Scotland estimated that MUP has saved lives, prevented alcohol-related hospital admissions, and had a positive impact in deprived areas. They acknowledged the updates made to the news release and the "findings at a glance" document to address the concerns raised by the UK Statistics Authority. The government also emphasized that there were no changes to the actual findings or their interpretation.

The controversy surrounding MUP comes as the National Records of Scotland released figures showing the highest levels of alcohol-related deaths since 2008. Dr. Gulhane called for a comprehensive approach to the alcohol crisis, including a focus on treatment and rehabilitation, rather than relying solely on MUP as a solution. The Scottish Government spokesperson reiterated the positive effects of MUP and stated that the updates were made in consultation with the Office for Statistics Regulation.

FutureCar Staff