2.4k admitted forbooze through A&E

In 2010 there was one alcohol-related admission to the Londonderry hospital for every 72 people over the age of 10 (per capita).

The Sentinel obtained the figures following a release by the Western Trust under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

In 2010 there were an incredible 1,333 inpatient admissions and in 2011 between January and September alone there were 1,107 inpatient admissions at Altnagelvin for a variety of alcohol-related problems.

When the figures for the Erne Hospital and Tyrone County Hospital are taken on board the total figure rises to 3,182.

The data relate to “inpatient admissions via A&E with alcohol related diagnosis or alcohol involvement.’

The Western Trust explained that this was based on admissions with a primary or secondary diagnosis of one of the following: mental and behavioural disorder due to use of alcohol; alcoholic liver disease; alcohol induced pancreatitis; alcoholic cardiomyopathy; toxic effect of ethanol (overdose); any admission with evidence of alcohol involvement.

The fresh revelations - released by the Western Trust on May 25 - follow a report in last week’s Sentinel which showed emergency paramedics were rushed to 1,018 cases of people trying to kill themselves, overdosing on drink or drugs or engaging in such abnormal psychiatric behaviour that 999 had to be called in Londonderry UK City of Culture 2013 last year.

Ambulances attended an unbelievable 1,018 call-outs in 2011 in the city where the chief complaint was either ‘overdose/poisoning (ingestion)’ or ‘psychiatric/abnormal behaviour/suicide attempts.’

Assuming no-one under the age of 10 tried to kill themselves in 2011 the per capita figure was one episode for every 92 people living in Londonderry.

Reacting to the ‘suicide’ and ‘overdose’ figures leading Londonderry suicide prevention worker Conor McCafferty of the ZEST organisation said there was a correlation between alcohol abuse and suicide.

Alcohol, although rare as a main form of self harm, has featured as a major factor in self-harm and suicide episodes in Londonderry since 2007 and is involved in roughly 60 per cent of all episodes.