Binge drinkers and drug takers "should be charged" to use A&E

Tuesday 16 June 2015

Binge drinkers and drug takers who clog up the hospital at weekends should be made to pay, according to one States Member.

St Mary Deputy David Johnson wants to know what sort of pressure hospital staff are under dealing with their "self-inflicted" trips to A&E and is calling for Health to introduce charges to treat them - he has raised the issue after seeing staff at the hospital verbally abused by drunk people late at night on the weekend.

Deputy Johnson - a retired solicitor who sits on two Scrutiny panels after being elected in October - wants Health to say how much they are forced to spend every year on treating people for "self-inflicted" conditions, and the extent to which the extra demands on the service is stopping hospital staff looking after everyone else.

In the States this morning Deputy Johnson want the Health Minister to outline how much is being spent on treating these weekend bingers and whether they are stopping staff attending other emergencies.

His question asks: “Is it the case that a disproportionate number of admissions to Accident and Emergency, particularly at weekends, relate to conditions induced by the intake of excessive alcohol or drugs and that such admissions deflect medical staff from attending other emergencies and impact upon the overall health budget and will the Minister therefore introduce a standard charge payable by the ‘patient’ when their condition is self-inflicted?” 

Deputy Johnson said he'd had to go to A&E one Saturday night and saw a number of people suffering from drink related conditions and verbally abusing the medical staff.

He said he hasn't put a figure on what people should be charged but said it would help "filter out the more genuine cases" and that those who have a registered condition like alcoholics and drug addicts should be treated "more sympathetically".

He said: "I accept there are all sorts of shades of grey. Bike accidents and sports accidents are genuine accidents and I wouldn't want to put off genuine emergencies visiting A&E."