Alcohol-related harm costs Aotearoa more than 7 billion dollars every year and is the leading cause of preventable death
in Kiwis aged 15-49. Nearly 20% of all deaths for men, and 10% of all deaths for women are attributed to alcohol use.
Bindi Norwell, Chief Executive at ProCare says: “Alcohol-related harms are seen every day in general practice through
direct injury from family violence, unintentional injuries inside and outside the home, tragic and preventable foetal
alcohol syndrome and contributing to long-term health conditions such as liver, heart disease and cancer.
“Alcohol causes issues such as the interruption of sleep patterns, productivity and can exacerbate stress, anxiety and
depression. All of which have a silent, daily impact on the physical, mental, spiritual and whānau health of our
communities,” she points out.
“We have a responsibility to advocate on behalf of the communities our practices serve and the health professionals we
represent. There are several actions ProCare has taken over the last few months to help reduce the harm of alcohol in
our communities,” continues Norwell.
Supporting Chle Swarbrick’s Private Members’ Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Harm Minimisation) Amendment Bill
ProCare has recently written to Auckland Council in support of Councillor Josephine Bartley’s Notice of Motion which
proposes that the Governing Body support Chle Swarbrick’s Private Members’ Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Harm
Minimisation) Amendment Bill.
The Bill is long overdue, with Part 1 seeking to end the special appeals process on local alcohol policies which will
enable communities to have effective agency over liquor sale and supply in their neighbourhoods. Part 2 implements a
number of recommendations from the 2014 Ministerial Forum on Alcohol Advertising and Sponsorship that focus on reducing
young people’s exposure to messages encouraging the consumption of alcohol and removing the link between sport and
alcohol.
Dr Sue Wells, Associate Clinical Director at ProCare says: “Unfortunately, the heaviest burden falls on Māori, Pacific,
tamariki, and rangatahi. With regards to alcohol marketing, Māori and Pacific tamariki are exposed five and three times
more, respectively, than non-Māori or Pacific children.i Moreover, alcohol marketing in sports is highly visible on TV
and at local games and sport events attended by tamariki.i ProCare believes the Advertising Standards Authority Code for
Advertising and Promotion of Alcohol and the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 (SaSA) must do more to protect some of
our most vulnerable.
“Incredibly, one of the most serious and prevalent health problems in our country gets very little attention until it’s
too late. We tend to focus funding and support of treatment such as after a drink-driving crash rather than prevention.
This Bill will address the need to limit exposure and normalisation of alcohol, particularly with our younger
generations. It is a step in the right direction, but overall, we need a full review of the Bill,” she continues.Empowering GPs to deliver equitable alcohol advice
ProCare has partnered with Counties Manukau Health and four other primary health organisations to more directly support
delivering equitable Alcohol ABC (Ask, Brief advice, Counselling) advice. The partnership is aimed at effecting change at a very basic level – empowering general practices to incorporate alcohol
assessment into their day-to-day practice. This includes providing access to high-quality and culturally appropriate
assessment for alcohol use, brief advice and earlier intervention, and referral to treatment when appropriate.
“Ideally, a patient should be asked about their alcohol intake, offered brief advice if appropriate, and referred on to
specialist services if needed,” says Dr Sue Wells.
ProCare practices are actively encouraged and supported to undertake an assessment of alcohol consumption and deliver
brief advice for all eligible people over 15 years and deliver brief advice to those drinking above the low risk
drinking guidelines. Data from ProCare’s Population Health Strategy shows that the percentage of people drinking above
recommended guidelines has increased by 50% over the last two years – from 6% to 9%*.ProCare's Better Together Collaboratives
ProCare recently conducted a quality improvement collaborative, with 24 practices participating and aiming to improve
their alcohol assessment rates.
“The collaborative brought many practices together who shared their best ideas for change as well as building on the
learnings already gained through the Counties Manukau alcohol harm minimisation programme. It has been very successful
and feedback from practices has been unanimously positive, continues Dr Wells.
“The practices involved in the collaboratives achieved significant improvements overall** and for Māori and Pacific
compared with non-participating practices in the network and these improvements were achieved in the midst of a COVID-19
pandemic,” she concludes.Notes to editors
i Nana, G. Alcohol costs – but, who pays? Presented at the Alcohol Action NZ Conference, Wellington, New Zealand, 2018.
* Any move upwards in these figures is seen as significant.
** The collaborative practices increased alcohol status assessment from 46% to 50% (a 4% total increase) whereas the
rest of the network made no gains in performance which remained static at 43% over 6 months. Any move upwards in these
figures is seen as significant.About ProCare
ProCare is a leading healthcare provider that aims to deliver the most progressive, pro-active and equitable health and
wellbeing services in Aotearoa. We do this through our clinical support services, mental health and wellness services,
virtual/tele health, mobile health, smoking cessation and by taking a population health and equity approach to our mahi.
As New Zealand’s largest Primary Health Organisation, we represent a network of general practice teams and healthcare
professionals who provide care to more than 830,000 people. These practices serve the largest Pacific and South Asian
populations enrolled in general practice and the largest Māori population in Tāmaki Makaurau. For more information go to www.procare.co.nz