As part of the 10 Year Health Plan for England (see below) the Labour government are proposing a raft of changes that are intended to help nudge shoppers towards buying ‘healthier’ options. This, according to the logic of Wes Streeting, will help relieve pressure on the NHS. It’s not entirely clear what these changes will be – they will be dreamt up alongside the food industry so, good luck – but they will likely include promotions, changing shop layouts, and tweaking loyalty points to incentivise healthy options. Labour claim this is a ‘radically different’ approach to the former Tory government which they claim was a ‘nanny state’ approach. Tory’s delivered this sick burn: ‘They've had a year in government, and the number one thing in it seems to be hide the crisps’. Neither 'reimagining the supermarket' or 'personal responsibility' are likely to produce satisfactory results but has anyone tried burning it all down? Could be a shout, you guys.
An investigation by Lord Darzi (fa??) into the state of the NHS found what we all already know: it’s tanking. Big Time. In response, the government have published its plans for a ‘radical’ (lol) overhaul focussing on three key shifts: more care in the community over the hospital; moving from analogue to digital (read: AI); and moving from sickness to prevention. NGL, this is above my station so I checked in with CIHAS medical correspondent, Dr. Hammad, and here’s what he had to say, specifically on the point of moving from sickness to prevention:
‘There is a broader question here about what the purpose of a health system actually is, and how we go about improving population health. The most impactful lever for doing this, in a country where 30% of children live in poverty, lies in shifting economic policy and redistributing wealth rather than GPs telling people to eat less and move more. My own views on this are informed by one of my GP heroes, Iona Heath, who sets out her argument for what the role of the health system should be in this excellent essay.’
Tl;dr doctors should do medicine and government shouldn't enshrine poverty into policy. Roger that 🫡
Scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences have developed a drink that they believe will give athletes a competitive edge. The elixir is a mixture of sugar, lemons juice, and young broccoli shoots. The Times reports that the drink, which is sold under the brand name Noimo, can help 'stabilise blood sugar' and 'reduce build up of lactic acid'. The latter could, in theory, help prevent fatigue and enhance performance but The Times didn't link to any studies to back their claims up so 🤷♀️. I did find a published paper which studied nine people and has hella COIs, so legit I guess? But what does it matter when you put something in a cool bottle and charge people £5 a pop?
