Shops deny selling alcohol to Walsall Manor Hospital patients
Off-licences near Walsall Manor Hospital have insisted they would not sell alcohol to patients after it emerged people in hospital gowns were being served and then returning to wards drunk.
Patients – some with drips still attached – are buying booze while being treated at the hospital, a health board was told this week.
But shops nearby have hit back at the claims, insisting they are not responsible and would act more responsibly than that.
Sunny Singh, manager of The Local in Alumwell Road, said: "We would never serve patients who came in with their gowns on.
"It is common sense if someone is in their gown they are in hospital and in there for a reason.
"The last thing you want to do is cause further health concerns."
Harbehajan Singh Thandi, who runs Manor Wine at the junction of Pleck Road, added: "They have come in with a drip in their hand but I don't serve them, I turn them away."
The Nisha store in Pleck Road has put a notice on the front of its door and in the shop saying it will not serve patients.
It states: "Nisha Convenience Store fully support health care in Walsall so may refuse to serve alcohol to people receiving treatment from Walsall Manor Hospital."
Action is now being taken to crack down on any shops who sell alcohol to inpatients from Walsall Manor in a bid to tackle the borough's drink-related problems.
Trading standards have also been informed with officers now speaking to shopworkers about restricting sales.
Shock statistics revealed more than 43,000 residents in Walsall have been classed as binge drinkers, while the number of men suffering booze-related deaths rose by 10 per cent over six years.
An action plan has been drawn up after Walsall Council helped set up an Alcohol Work Group.
Other steps being looked at to reduce demand on the hospital's A&E and cut down on admissions is to fund a specialist alcohol nurse for evening and weekend cover.
Another option is to have a short-term 'sanctuary' for those under the influence and also raise awareness of the impact of drinking by promotional material.
Bosses at the Manor say they work with other organisations to support patients with alcohol issues.
Kathryn Halford, director of nursing at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "We have been working with agencies to improve care pathways for patients who have no fixed abode and are frequently attending A&E with alcohol problems."
