Health Secretary's Speech to LGA.

[catherinecherub]

This is the recent speech that Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary, has made to the LGA about what has to happen in the NHS to make it function better.
He has included,

1.....Spending.

2.....Personal responsibility for our health..

3.....Responsible use of NHS resources.

4.....Responsibilty for our families.

5.....International comparisons.

6.....New carer's strategy.


https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/personal-responsibility

 

[zand]

Hmmm. I haven't had time to read it, I just quickly scrolled down it. It seems to be saying "look after yourselves, because we're not going to look after you"

Thanks Catherine, I'll read it later when I'm not feeling so cynical.

 

[graj0]

We also have higher obesity rates than nearly anywhere else in Europe. This is closely linked to soaring type 2 diabetes rates - up 61% in a decade, now affecting 1 in 16 of the adult population and costing the NHS £8 billion a year. While childhood obesity has plateaued, are we really content with 1 in 5 children leaving primary school clinically obese, with three-quarters of their parents not even aware that they have a problem?
Make no mistake, they MUST get dietary advice right. Jamie Oliver may have made a start, but there's more to it than he thinks, he's a chef after all, not an expert in nutrition, although he claims to be.
They can put playing fields back where they belong instead of building on them. OK, not the only problem, even the cost of going to the swimming pool is beyond some people's means whereas when I was a teenager I could afford to go every Saturday, and my family were by no means well off, in fact quite poor.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Think I will write to Jeremy Hunt and ask why he can not change the eat well plate and encourage healthy eating and exercise.

Why are they incentivising GPs to hand out more drugs instead ofincentivising them to send people with gym referals etc?

Incentives such as weightloss would be hugely better than payments for giving statins...

Governments are just plain stupid...

 

[Lamont D]

The problem with the NHS, is that powerful politicians like Jeremy Hunt doesn't have to rely on it.
He can go private!

 

[Daibell]

Well I don't have access to a summary of my medical record so am in the 3% who don't. I suspect the 3% figure is wildly wrong.

 

[donnellysdogs]

I suspect it 3% is probably correct.

Generally it is one GP practices that are not moving with the times.

Most larger GP practices are now joining up to "federations" and have had summarys available probably around 6 months now.

However our GP practice is apparently waiting for an update with the EMIS system to give fuller access to actual records.

If your Practice has a PPG (and they should have) then they should be asking on behalf of patients why the GP is not adapting to the NHS guidelines.

 

[catherinecherub]

Another article in the Daily Telegraph that ties in with this subject.

Daily Telegraph examines where the money goes in the NHS.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/hea...m=Edi_FAM_New_2015_07_05&utm_campaign=DM29213

 

[donnellysdogs]

Staggering !

 

[Scardoc]

• 53 million aspirin and paracetamol tablets, available over the counter in supermarkets and pharmacies, were prescribed by doctors at a net ingredient cost of £112.3 million

This would equate to a single tablet costing £2.12 when you can buy a pack of 16 for less than £0.50 in the shop? I wonder if they mean 53 million prescriptions?

If not, can I have a job in the NHS please as I can send a van out to Tesco and save £85.86M in one go!

 

[tim2000s]

However our GP practice is apparently waiting for an update with the EMIS system to give fuller access to actual records.

Ours is in a similar situation.

 

[Scardoc]

We also have higher obesity rates than nearly anywhere else in Europe. This is closely linked to soaring type 2 diabetes rates - up 61% in a decade, now affecting 1 in 16 of the adult population and costing the NHS £8 billion a year. While childhood obesity has plateaued, are we really content with 1 in 5 children leaving primary school clinically obese, with three-quarters of their parents not even aware that they have a problem?
Make no mistake, they MUST get dietary advice right. Jamie Oliver may have made a start, but there's more to it than he thinks, he's a chef after all, not an expert in nutrition, although he claims to be.
They can put playing fields back where they belong instead of building on them. OK, not the only problem, even the cost of going to the swimming pool is beyond some people's means whereas when I was a teenager I could afford to go every Saturday, and my family were by no means well off, in fact quite poor.

Coming from a very poor background myself I think there’s yet another reason that is worth considering. When I were a lad and the latest video consoles were coming out, Sega and Nintendo, I simply didn’t get one. If it couldn’t be afforded then I didn’t have. Simple. And my friends were the same. So, in the lack of a video game we played out all day, most days. Tearing up the local building site, football etc. Society today knows very few boundaries financially thanks to credit.
Dietary advice, more exercise and a fundamental shift in attitudes away from our consumer society. All required. For me the easiest one of those to implement is exercise, from primary school onwards.

 

[Scardoc]

Think I will write to Jeremy Hunt and ask why he can not change the eat well plate and encourage healthy eating and exercise.

Why are they incentivising GPs to hand out more drugs instead ofincentivising them to send people with gym referals etc?

Incentives such as weightloss would be hugely better than payments for giving statins...

Governments are just plain stupid...

I wouldn’t go as far to say that the Government don’t encourage healthy eating or exercise. As part of his statement, Jeremy Hunt says “the best person to prevent a long term condition developing is not the doctor – it’s you”, hence the incentives in dealing with the problems after the fact.
However, what disappoints me in this particular speech is the complete lack, in fact the utter failure to mention education and trying to break hereditary attitudes to health. Yes smoking still costs us financially and in life expectancy but less people are smoking now. Why? 50-60 years ago it was fashionable, the consequences were not as well understood. You can’t eradicate it overnight as it’s an addiction and what of those children who grew up in a smoky house where it was the norm to smoke? My daughter’s 17 and smoking is extremely “un-cool” amongst children now. Give it another 30/40 years and there will be a significant change.
You have to apply the same logic to other health problems such as obesity. The change in society is there for all to see: more sedentary, more junk food, more cheaply manufactured food, more time consuming social media type activities and devices, easy credit etc etc. As alluded to above, some of these things really have become the norm in the last 30 years. I can’t see how else this Government can hope to tackle it unless they are educating our kids as they will spawn the next generation. Whatever they do after the fact, be it incentivise certain drugs or gym referrals, it’s shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. It’s reactive policy and not proactive.

 

[donnellysdogs]

People are against sugar tax etc.. Companies like to sell double size portions.
I have a friend that circuit trains twice a week, but has all you can eat breakfasts or humongous subways and literally live on takeaways. How on earth can you educate these people?
He's been told he not good with food choices. Their kids don't eat a single vegetable and they just pick easy options and save arguments with kids who are also obese.

I know that this isn't norm but my goodness if this is what the govt face there really isn't much they can give with incentives!! Even the grandmother just buys them all cakes n sweets etc. Just for an easy life.

They just can't see anything wrong. So how can their lifestyles ever change? They will all probBly have good genes n live until 100!!!

I suspect they see me lean and eating really healthy to look after myself n say "healthy eating hasn't done her any good !"

It does start with lifestyles and living in the families. Childrenbase their adult life's on their childhoods.

Its beyond me. I do a fair bit of voluntary work with GP Practice and I can't honestly see what they can do with educating people so firmly set on an easy lifestyle.

 

[CollieBoy]

Coming from a very poor background myself I think there’s yet another reason that is worth considering. When I were a lad and the latest video consoles were coming out, Sega and Nintendo, I simply didn’t get one. If it couldn’t be afforded then I didn’t have. Simple. And my friends were the same. So, in the lack of a video game we played out all day, most days. Tearing up the local building site, football etc. Society today knows very few boundaries financially thanks to credit.
Dietary advice, more exercise and a fundamental shift in attitudes away from our consumer society. All required. For me the easiest one of those to implement is exercise, from primary school onwards.

@Scardoc,
I too come from the days when our non-school activitie were ful of playing on the local woods/waste grond/back streets with a ball.
Now the waste grounds are fenced off due to H&S , the streets are full of cars, and the parks are sold off for buildings!
Stop the world, I want to go back!

 

[CollieBoy]

I wouldn’t go as far to say that the Government don’t encourage healthy eating or exercise. As part of his statement, Jeremy Hunt says “the best person to prevent a long term condition developing is not the doctor – it’s you”, hence the incentives in dealing with the problems after the fact.
However, what disappoints me in this particular speech is the complete lack, in fact the utter failure to mention education and trying to break hereditary attitudes to health. Yes smoking still costs us financially and in life expectancy but less people are smoking now. Why? 50-60 years ago it was fashionable, the consequences were not as well understood. You can’t eradicate it overnight as it’s an addiction and what of those children who grew up in a smoky house where it was the norm to smoke? My daughter’s 17 and smoking is extremely “un-cool” amongst children now. Give it another 30/40 years and there will be a significant change.
You have to apply the same logic to other health problems such as obesity. The change in society is there for all to see: more sedentary, more junk food, more cheaply manufactured food, more time consuming social media type activities and devices, easy credit etc etc. As alluded to above, some of these things really have become the norm in the last 30 years. I can’t see how else this Government can hope to tackle it unless they are educating our kids as they will spawn the next generation. Whatever they do after the fact, be it incentivise certain drugs or gym referrals, it’s shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. It’s reactive policy and not proactive.

It is not just the patients who are lacking education but the HCPs
What I have found is that education is the key to moving forward!
Yes it is you as the best person to prevent long term condition, mainly by educating yourself in nutrition, a thing that most GpS & Practice nurses have not (or are prevented from advising)
Again on exercise 7 healthy eating, a generation have been weaned away from how to exercise, by expensive gyms replacing cheap public schemes, and from how to prepare god food by not having the time to cook, or exposure to cooking, due to lack of cookery at school, and loss of the extended family demonstrating aunts,grannies,mums cooking for the extended family. (I grew up with Granny spending Saturday a.m. baking for family tea, and each branch of the family bringing what meals they could prepare for the weekly family "get together".

 

[tim2000s]

It does start with lifestyles and living in the families. Childrenbase their adult life's on their childhoods.

This completely. Without getting parents to change, you just won't get children to. And short of charging parents who allow their kids to become obese with child abuse, positive incentives don't seem to make a difference.

 

[donnellysdogs]

It seems that Nhs Managers want GPs to go through their patient lists and refer those at high risk for interventions, such as Zumba dance and cookery classes.
The project is going to be piloted in seven areas this year and then launched nationally from next April.
But the GPC has warned practices are already ‘oversaturated’ and that improving access to healthier food and exercise should also be a priority.

Well we got a GP / Gym referral scheme up n running and its only me using it!!!

 

[tim2000s]

It seems that Nhs Managers want GPs to go through their patient lists and refer those at high risk for interventions, such as Zumba dance and cookery classes.

If someone refers me for a Zumba class I might have to clock them one!

 

[dancer]

If someone refers me for a Zumba class I might have to clock them one!

What about a ballroom/Latin dance class? We could do with more dancers!