Booze Bus Aims To Ease Pressure On A&E

A mobile treatment centre costing nearly half a million pounds has been opened to keep drunk people out of A&E.

During one of the busiest weekends of the year as many celebrate Christmas parties, Sky News was invited to see the facility in Bristol which has been paid for by pubs and clubs through the National Licensed Trade Association.

The Alcohol Recovery Centre comes in a 65-foot-long truck trailer and is equipped with several beds, a waiting area and showers.

By 11pm on Saturday night the centre had already welcomed its first visitors, all of different ages and from a variety of backgrounds.

We saw patients being assessed by a paramedic to make sure they didn't have any other symptoms or injuries that needed treatment, before being left to rest and sober up.

Chris Hewett from South Western Ambulance Service told Sky News: "We're trying to achieve two things.

"The first thing is take the pressure off our colleagues in the hospitals, and the other thing is to try and keep the 999 ambulances free to go out and answer life-threatening emergencies."

It's hoped the centre will reduce the number of visits to hospital A&E departments, giving paramedics a dedicated space to help people who may be vulnerable because they've drunk too much.

A trial of the scheme, which ran in Bristol during December 2013, was praised for saving hundreds of hospital hours.

There are plans to open more centres like it across the UK in the next 18 months.

Andy Bishop, from the NLTA, said: "I am delighted to be involved with this pioneering national scheme that will have a profound effect on the licensed trade and in turn reduce the pressure of anti-social drinking on the emergency services, maintain ongoing health education and fund increased community support.

"Although we look forward to seeing the success of the project across the UK, our aim is that, through education, there will be no need for such assistance in our society in the future."

Almost 10 million hospital admissions in England last year were related to alcohol, and the cost to the NHS was up to £1.3bn.

Alcohol Concern believes this will contribute to an NHS deficit of £30bn by 2020.