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Every hospital in England will have a "24-hour" team to help alcohol addicts under a Labour government, the Shadow Health Secretary announced today.

Jon Ashworth unveiled the £13.5million pledge as he revealed he is still haunted by the thought his dad's alcoholism could have been passed on to him.

Mr Ashworth, who has spoken movingly in the past of how his dad missed his wedding three months before his death aged 61, said: "It's something I ask myself sometimes.

"These days I'm not a big drinker at all, I can easily go for two, three, four months and never touch alcohol.

(Image: Daily Mirror)

"But there are times when I do ask myself, New Year's Eve or something like that and I've got a bad head the next morning, I do ask myself - 'was that just because it was a party, or is there something else going on there?'

"I don't know the answer."

Labour's pledge - announced during a HuffPost UK fringe event at Labour's conference in Liverpool - would ensure a round-the-clock 'Alcohol Care Team' in all 191 district general hospitals in England.

The party claims the project's cost would be outweighed by saving the NHS £40milllion in the long run.

It comes after research by the party claimed at least 41 NHS trusts do not have a full ACT in place.

Mr Ashworth said: "A 24-hour team in every district hospital would support those who are admitted with some alcohol-related problem.

"It would support those people, make sure they're getting the specialist help they need, and making sure that when they are discharged from hospital they're going on to get specialist treatment."

He added: "People should not have their life ruined by addiction and we've ignored it as a society for too long."