A north-east health boss has called for more beds to be provided for recovering alcoholics in the region.
Christopher Littlejohn, consultant in public health medicine at NHS Grampian, told a meeting of the Aberdeen City Alcohol and Drugs Partnership that the health board had no specialist beds for people battling drink problems.
Instead, they are transferred to NHS Tayside or cared for privately at the expense of north-east health board.
Mr Littlejohn said about 70 people in the Grampian area required the service and that for long-term alcoholics the lack of beds could prove life-threatening.
He said: “When people are drinking a bottle of vodka a day it can kill them to stop suddenly.
“I know alcoholics are maybe a less sympathetic group than say, children with cancer, but they do need to be cared for too.
“We are unique in Scotland that we don’t have any of these specialist beds. We need them to help these people to detox.
“Around 600 people were admitted into Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with alcohol dependency issues last year and anecdotally we know many are there to detox.
“The questions we should be asking are do we want these people in ARI? Is sending them to Tayside or treating them privately really the right thing?”
Councillor James Kiddie, who attended the meeting, said: “I have experience in the past where people with alcohol issues have been sent to psychiatric wards and that’s really not best.
“It’s not best for the staff and it’s not best for the other patients.
“I think we should support our colleague here.”
The issue will be considered by an integrated joint board which will combine elements of social and health care when it is formed next year.