Measuring how PH stakeholders seek to influence alcohol premises licensing in England and Scotland: the Public Health engagement In Alcohol Licensing (PHIAL) measure

Objective:

In the UK, some public health teams (PHTs) routinely engage with local alcohol premises licensing systems, through which licences to sell alcohol are granted. We aimed to categorise PHT efforts, and to develop and apply a measure of their efforts over time.

Methods:

Preliminary categories of PHT activity were developed based on prior literature, and guided data collection with PHTs in 39 local government areas (27 in England; 12 in Scotland), sampled purposively. Relevant activity from April 2012 to March 2019 was identified through structured interviews (n=62), documentation analysis and follow-up checks, and a grading system developed. The measure was refined based on expert consultation, and used to grade relevant PHT activity for the 39 areas in 6 month periods.

Results:

The Public Health engagement In Alcohol Licensing (PHIAL) Measure includes nineteen activities in six categories: (1) staffing; (2) reviewing licence applications; (3) responding to licence applications; (4) data usage; (5) influencing licensing stakeholders or policy; and (6) public involvement. PHIAL scores for each area demonstrate fluctuation in type and level of activity between and within areas over time. Participating PHTs in Scotland were more active on average, particularly on senior leadership, policy development and working with the public. In England, activity to influence licence applications prior to decision was more common and a clear increase in activity is apparent from 2014 onwards.

Conclusion:

The novel PHIAL Measure successfully assessed diverse and fluctuating PHT engagement in alcohol licensing systems over time, and will have practice, policy and research applications.