NHS England consultation: Action to reduce sales of sugar-sweetened drinks on NHS premises

NHS England consultation: Action to reduce sales of sugar-sweetened drinks on NHS premises

On the 9 November Simon Stevens NHS England’s Chief Executive announced details of proposed new action to cut obesity and reduce the sales and consumption of sugary drinks sold in hospitals.

England would become the first country in the world to take action across its health service in this way. A formal consultation launched earlier in the month gives details of a proposed new fee to be paid by vendors, or alternatively seeks views on an outright ban.

As Europe’s largest employer, with over 1.3 million staff, the NHS committed in its overall strategy, the Five Year Forward View, to improve the health of its workforce.

A recent survey found obesity to be the most significant self-reported health problem amongst NHS staff, with nearly 700,000 NHS staff estimated to be overweight or obese.

Rising rates of obesity amongst NHS staff are not only bad for their personal health, but also affect sickness absence and the NHS’s ability to give patients credible and effective advice about their health.

NHS premises also receive heavy footfall from the communities of which they are a part, with over 1 million patients every 24 hours, 22 million A&E attendances and 85 million outpatient appointments each year. The food sold in these locations can send a powerful message to the public about healthy food and drink consumption.

Simon Stevens has said that it’s time for the NHS to practice what it preaches. Nurses, visitors and patients all tell us they increasingly want healthy, tasty and affordable food and drink options. So like a number of other countries we’re now calling time on hospitals as marketing outlets for junk food and fizzy drinks. By ploughing the proceeds of any vendor fees back into staff health and patient charities these proposals are a genuine win/win opportunity to both improve health and cut future illness cost burdens for the NHS.

The consultation proposes levying a fee for any vendor of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) on NHS premises. It is complementary to the government’s proposed sugar tax, but would begin sooner – in 2017 – and based on best evidence would cover the full range of sugar sweetened drinks. Subject to consultation the drinks affected would be any drink with added sugar including fruit juices, sweetened milk-based drinks and sweetened coffees.

Proceeds from the fee would be used directly to fund expanded local staff health and wellbeing programmes and/or the trust’s patient charities. It also seeks views on an outright ban on certain products being sold on NHS premises, an approach now beginning to be taken by hospitals in several other countries.

The consultation will ask for the views of patients, carers, NHS staff, the public and suppliers and will close on January 18 when feedback will be considered and a decision taken about how this should be taken forward into the NHS standard contract

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF!

As winter approaches it is more important than ever that you look after your own health and wellbeing.  Winter is traditionally the time of coughs, colds and fevers, it is also the time when the NHS is under the most pressure.  This is why NHS Halton CCG is supporting three key initiatives over the coming weeks that reinforce the importance of looking after yourself, of self-care and of getting the right treatment.

We are promoting the flu jab at the moment.  Flu occurs every year, usually in the winter, which is why it’s sometimes called seasonal flu. It’s a highly infectious disease with symptoms that come on very quickly.  Certain people can have, should have, a flu jab that will provide the best protection available against an unpredictable virus that can cause severe illness.  More information for flu clinics in Halton and further advice can be found at http://www.haltonccg.nhs.uk/your-health/seasonal-advice.

The second initiative that we are supporting is Self Care Week, which runs from 14^th November 2016 to 18^th November 2016 and is promoted by the Self Care Forum (http://www.selfcareforum.org/).  Self-care works when people are empowered with the confidence and information to look after themselves when they can, and visit the GP when they need to, gives people greater control of their own health and encourages healthy behaviours that help prevent ill health in the long-term.  In many cases people can take care of their minor ailments, reducing the number of GP consultations and enabling GPs to focus on caring for higher risk patients, such as those with comorbidities, the very young and elderly, managing long-term conditions and providing new services.  More cost-effective use of stretched NHS resources allows money to be spent where it’s most needed and improve health outcomes. Furthermore, increased personal responsibility around healthcare helps improve people’s health and wellbeing and better manage long-term conditions when they do develop. This will ultimately ensure the long-term sustainability of the NHS.  Have a look at the Self Care Forum website, which has lots of practical tips and support.

The third initiative that we are supporting is World Antibiotic Awareness Week, which is also from 14^th November 2016 to 18^th November 2016.  Antibiotic resistance represents one of the greatest threats to human health today.  Inappropriate and over use of antibiotics is a major driver of antibiotic resistance. As antibiotic resistance is increasing, the development of new antibiotics is declining.  Few new antibiotics have been developed in recent years; meaning many of the medical advances that rely on antibiotics to control infection (such as organ transplantation, surgery and neonatal care) may be under threat.  Antibiotics are only effective in bacterial infections.  Our GPs and other healthcare professionals have a range of tools through which they can determine whether the prescribing of an antibiotic is appropriate or not.  So, don’t expect that you will get antibiotics and don’t be surprised if you are not given them.

Simon Banks