The number of alcohol dependency prescription drugs dispensed has rocketed 60 per cent in the past eight years, with almost 168,000 items issued last year, a new analysis of NHS figures has shown.

The total number of prescription items for alcohol dependency dispensed in England in 2011 climbed 5 per cent on the year before, with a 63 per cent rise since 2003, according to a report from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

The HSCIC said the figures showed how drinking in England had affected the number of treatments being prescribed

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The total net ingredient cost to the NHS of the items was £2.49 million – up 3 per cent on the previous year. Last year, 302 alcohol dependency prescription items were dispensed for every 100,000 people in England. The north west had the highest number of items per 100,000 people at 517, while London had the lowest with 138 per 100,000. The number of alcohol-related hospital admissions is also on the rise the report found, with admissions up 2 per cent in 2010-11 to 1.17 million when primary diagnosis was considered. This figure represents an increase of 40 per cent from 2002-03.

HSCIC chief executive Tim Straughan said the figures showed how drinking in England had affected the number of treatments being prescribed.

"There are thousands more cases of both hospitalisation and of prescribed drugs being dispensed to tackle the effects of alcohol compared to eight years ago," he said.

Jay Badenhorst, superintendent pharmacist at Whitworth Chemists, which has been running an alcohol awareness scheme using props and leaflets to help engage customers and highlight its alcohol services, said it was important for pharmacy to take advantage of its accessibility and offer services related to alcohol.

Using props at the counter and asking people questions such as how much wine they thought would constitue one unit could be good ways to engage people in what can be a difficult subject to tackle, he suggested. "It's a taboo topic to ask ‘how much do you drink?'" he said.