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A new report says that a sustained, visible and non-stigmatising UK-wide campaign on alcohol and pregnancy is now overdue to help prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), one of the country’s most under-recognised neurodevelopmental conditions.
The report, The Cost of Inaction on FASD, published by the charity National FASD, estimates that FASD costs UK society around £9.2 billion each year, with a 30-year cumulative present-value burden of around £160 billion. It also says that too much of this money is currently spent late, in crisis, and in the wrong places, because needs are not recognised early enough and the UK still lacks a coordinated prevention, diagnosis and support response.
National FASD is calling for a four-nation FASD Prevention and Response Programme funded at an amount equivalent to 0.25% of alcohol duty receipts. It says that level of investment could support a UK-wide prevention campaign on alcohol and pregnancy, earlier diagnosis, post-diagnostic support, funding for FASD voluntary organisations, workforce training, better recording of prenatal alcohol exposure, and research and data systems.
FASD is under-recognised and undersupported
FASD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition caused by alcohol exposure during pregnancy, and is one of the most under-recognised and under-supported neurodevelopmental conditions in the UK. Prevalence evidence suggests that 2–4% of children in mainstream primary schools may meet criteria for FASD, and it is also severely under-represented in parliamentary discussion compared with autism and ADHD.
Sandra Butcher, Chief Executive of National FASD, said: “People with FASD, their families and more than 100 experts have called for an invest-to-save approach. Ministers cannot credibly talk about prevention, early intervention and value for money while leaving FASD out of major reforms.
“The precedent exists: government has already linked revenue from products that drive health harms to targeted action, and it can do the same here by directing a tiny fraction of alcohol duty receipts to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies and support those already affected. That is not a radical idea. It is responsible government. With around £1 billion a month in alcohol duty receipts, it is not a matter of no money. It is a political choice. This report shows the immense cost of current inaction, provides a way forward, and calls for immediate action across the UK.”
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Recommendations from the report
The report argues that ministers should not rely on fragmented local messaging, as clearer public information, supported by consistent professional training and maternity recording, could help reduce alcohol-exposed pregnancies and enable earlier intervention.
National FASD warns that current reforms in SEND, mental health, ADHD and autism pathways, maternity, benefits, homelessness and children’s social care are being designed as if prenatal alcohol exposure and FASD are marginal issues.
It argues that this blind spot means reforms will neither meet need nor deliver promised savings because a major driver of complexity, misdiagnosis and service failure has been left out.
National FASD says that unless FASD is explicitly embedded in policy, guidance and training, current reforms risk deepening rather than easing pressure on families and public services.
