“Love the NHS as we do, it is generally accepted that in its first 62 years it has been better at treating ill health than promoting good health. And, yet, there are signs that this is beginning to change.”
Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP, Secretary of State for Health – 1st February 2010
Yesterday, the Secretary of State for Health, Rt Hon Andy Burham MP, suggested that figures are beginning to show improvements in public health prevention; with over 2 million fewer adult smokers than in 1997, a ‘levelling off’ of childhood obesity and more children and adults now taking regular exercise.
The Secretary of State made clear his points around shifting patterns in society, and the changes in typical health conditions as a result. He noted that many of today’s threats to public health come not from traditional diseases of poverty, but from cancer, heart disease and diabetes, the result of too much fatty food, salt, alcohol, or tobacco. To tackle these conditions requires a different kind of response, one which challenges us to change our lifestyles for the better. The 3rd Annual Preventive Health Conference 2010 will cover these key issues outlined by the Secretary of State for Health yesterday, and provide an engaging and insightful forum for discussion and debate around how the UK is looking to make prevention a public health priority.
Burnham also acknowledged the difficulties that we face in addressing these problems, as often “a passion to act can be misread as a desire to meddle” and that people’s willingness to listen to the man from the ministry is at an all time low. He suggested that state intervention could still be justified where actions protect the health of children, or where one person’s choices cause harm others. And also that Government still has an important role in removing the barriers which stop individuals from taking healthy choices, making these choices easier for all.
Looking forward, Burnham outlined a number of new consultations and initiatives around providing; better early year’s information for families around lifestyle choices, guidance on physical activity and obesity, oral health and smoking cessation. He also highlighted the approach that must be taken to address the health implications of alcohol abuse in our communities citing that “There isn’t such a clear divide between drinkers and non-drinkers as there is between smokers and non-smokers. Our approach has got to acknowledge that. And while there’s no safe level of smoking, drinking in moderation poses little risk – the problem is that people aren’t sure what ‘moderation’ is.”
Burnham summarised by saying that we should focus on giving people positive messages, rather than stern warnings and that where government action is necessary, we need to set out a clearer basis to support it.
On Wednesday 30 June, over 350 senior public sector health delegates will gather to discuss how we can improve the nation’s health through medical and social prevention at the Preventive Health 2010 conference. Joining delegates on the day will be an impressive plenary of speakers including Professor Stephen Field, Chairman, Royal College of GPs, Professor Roger Boyle, National Director of Heart Disease and Stroke, Kathy Elliott, National Lead for Prevention, Early Diagnosis and Inequalities, National Cancer Action Team, and Dr. Mike Kelly, Director of the Public Health Excellence Centre, NICE. Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Health has been invited to give a keynote address.
New powers to tackle the problems of under-age drinking have come into force in England and Wales. The government says they will make it easier for police to confiscate alcohol from youths and to move on groups of teenagers who are causing trouble, with tougher penalties being brought against shopkeepers who repeatedly sell alcohol to young people.
The new powers mean that Police officers are now able to seize alcohol from suspected under-age drinkers without having to prove they intended to consume it themselves. They will also be able to issue a so-called "direction to leave" order to children as young as 10 who are causing trouble, which up until now was only possible with those over 16. Additionally, any shopkeepers who are caught selling alcohol to under-age drinkers twice in three months will immediately lose their licence - a toughening of the law from "three strikes" to "two strikes".
Also with this announcement comes the news that the Government plans to provide young people with a greater number of activities and places to go, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights, which would give them positive alternatives to drinking.
It is estimated that alcohol is responsible for at least 33,000 deaths in the UK each year and that the UK has one of the highest rates of binge drinking in Europe with one in three adults at risk from alcohol-related liver disease.
GovNet’s 3rd Preventive Health conference will be a centre point for discussion around the challenges of reducing the levels and effects of alcohol abuse in the community. Plenary speakers will discuss the ways in which Local Authorities, Healthcare providers and the Police can work together, exposing delegates to a best practice case study.
Source:
BBC News
The Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, is to confirm the final details of a new code on alcohol sales which will aim to address the health implications of binge drinking and tackle the drink-fuelled crime and disorder that is estimated to cost the UK between £8bn and £13bn a year.
Within the code is expected to be a ban on irresponsible drinks promotions in venues and a requirement for those selling alcohol to check the ID of anyone who looks under 18. The code will also ensure that establishments make available a choice between a single and double measure of spirits and a small and large glass of wine, and provide tap water for free.
The code will be introduced in two stages throughout 2010, with the first stage coming into effect on 6 April and will cover the ban on promotions and drinking games and the provision of free tap water. The second stage, covering smaller measures and age checks, will come into effect on 1 October.
It is estimated that alcohol is responsible for at least 33,000 deaths in the UK each year and that the UK has one of the highest rates of binge drinking in Europe with one in three adults at risk from alcohol-related liver disease.
GovNet’s 3rd Preventive Health conference will be a centre point for discussion around the challenges of reducing the levels and effects of alcohol abuse in the community. Plenary speakers will discuss the ways in which Local Authorities, Healthcare providers and the Police can work together, exposing delegates to a best practice case study.
Sources:
BBC News
Drink Aware
Leading doctors have demanded a complete ban on the use of man-made fats found in thousands of foodstuffs including biscuits, ready meals and margarine, because of the health implications they can cause.
Artificial trans fatty acids, also know as Trans fats are reported to boost levels of bad cholesterol, putting extra pressure on the circulatory system and increasing the risk of heart attack. They can be found in many cakes, chips, pastries, pies, and fast foods, and are used to bulk up foods and increase their shelf life. They have no nutritional value and are made from chemically altered vegetable oils. Although Trans fats do occur naturally in meat and dairy products, they pose no risk in this form.
Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, has said: "The evidence is indisputable that trans fats raise your risk of having heart disease and so they can ultimately kill you. They also might give you Alzheimer's disease and make you infertile. Do you need to know any more? If people really understood what they were eating and the harms caused by trans fats, they would stop eating foods containing them."
Both the UK Faculty of Public Health and the World Health Organisation are urging government to reduce or eradicate Trans fats from the British diet to reduce the risk of heart attack or a stroke, as has already been done in Denmark, New York, California, Switzerland and Austria.
Professor Steve Field will chairing GovNet’s 3rd Preventive Health conference on June 30th 2010 at the QEII Conference Center in London, where he will be joined by a plenary of preventive health experts and over 350 senior public sector and health service delegates.
A Healthier Nation is the Conservative Party’s new green paper on public health. The paper outlines the party’s policies for tackling Britain’s public health crisis.
The paper suggests that much greater responsibility for tackling problems like obesity, drug use and teenage pregnancy would be devolved to communities on a new payment-by results basis, with extra rewards for improving the public health of the poorest. In spending their dedicated public health budgets, communities will be obliged to partner with local bodies such as schools, businesses, councils and GPs.
Included in the paper are plans for the introduction of a clearer system of alcohol labeling, allowing people to compare the amount they drink with other people more easily, along with the display of ‘guideline daily amounts’ on food packaging. The plans also extend to encouraging restaurants and bars to publish and make available more dietary information for their customers.
Other strategic areas include; the utilisation of behaviour change research, paying providers based on results and providing prizes for ‘open source’ suggestions that aid the development of new public health strategies.
Source
Conservative Party
A recent study for the Journal of Medical Screening has found that practical reasons, rather than emotional ones, may be the most significant in explaining why many women miss cervical cancer screenings.
Previously, it had been thought that emotional factors such as fear and embarrassment were largely to blame for low take-up rates. However researchers say that women may simply be too busy for either activity. The research suggests that measures to minimise practical difficulties, such as evening and weekend clinics, could have a significant effect.
Professor Julietta Patnick, director of the NHS Cancer Screening programmes, said: "We have been concerned for some time about falling acceptance rates for screening, particularly amongst certain groups in society, such as women under 35 and the over 55s. This study helps us understand what the issue might be and will be useful for us in addressing the issues."
On Wednesday 20 June at the Preventive Health 2010 conference, Kathy Elliott, National Lead for Prevention, Early Diagnosis and Inequalities, National Cancer Action Team will be discussing a variety of topics including the Cancer Reform Strategy, the importance of early screening and the Early Detection Initiative. Kathy will be joined by a plenary of other leading experts from the preventive health arena.
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