The Department of Health’s imminent appointment of a liver disease “tsar” is excellent news, not only for the treatment of the growing number of patients with the potentially fatal condition, but also for increasing awareness.
Cancer “tsar” Professor Mike Richards and heart “tsar” Professor Roger Boyle have been extremely successful in raising the profile of these diseases.
However, despite the fact that incidence of liver disease is soaring – and it is now the fifth most common cause of death in England – the public remains relatively ignorant of its existence, let alone its dangers. Frighteningly, it is the only one of the top five causes of death that is continuing to affect more people every year and at an increasingly young age.
The new national clinical director, who should be appointed in the next few months will, according to the Department of Health, develop a strategy to effectively combat liver disease. High on his or her agenda must be improving the public’s knowledge and understanding. The biggest causes of liver disease are lifestyle factors such as drinking and obesity. The dramatic escalation of cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), caused by obesity, is a growing concern among liver specialists.
The recent news that one in four Britons is now obese only increases the concern. According to official figures from the NHS Information Centre, the number of patients treated in hospital for obesity has more than tripled over the past five years. In the past year alone, obesity-related admissions jumped by 60 per cent.
Improved diagnostics, breakthroughs in drug development and advances in treatment should mean that our health is improving. Yet our lifestyles are ruining our prospects of a long and healthy existence. Obesity, binge drinking and smoking still claim millions of lives and cost the National Health Service billions of pounds.
Although the Government’s Stop Smoking Service has been successful in reducing the number of the population smoking from 28 per cent to 21 per cent, it has cost more than £250 million. There are still 1.4 million hospital admissions a year for diseases causes by smoking – five per cent of all admissions – and treating illnesses related to the habit costs the NHS £5.2 billion a year. So, there is a long way still to go.
And the battles against obesity and binge drinking are lagging a long way behind. How a Government that introduced 24-hour drinking can ever claim to be trying to reduce alcohol misuse and binge drinking is beyond me.
The ban on smoking in public places subsequently resulted in a decline in people smoking. So wouldn’t restricting the consumption of alcohol – reducing not increasing drinking hours – result in a decline in people drinking?
Five years ago, in November 2004, the Department of Health launched the Choosing Health white paper to “set out the principles for supporting the public to make healthier and more informed choices in regards to their health”.
A glossy 200-page document was followed by several other glossy documents including Delivering Choosing Health; Choosing a Better Diet and Choosing Activity.
Then came Change4Life, a multi-million-pound campaign to inform us how small changes in our lifestyles can make big differences.
Sadly, despite all this effort and money, people are not eating a better diet or exercising more or becoming healthier. Obesity, in particular, has reached a crisis point. When the Choosing Health white paper was published official figures showed that 1,746 people were admitted to hospital for obesity. In 2008-09, there were 8,085.
Government action isn’t working. So what does the Government do? In August this year, the Department of Health announced it is building a “Coalition for Better Health” to bring together senior decision makers from across the health agenda. Wow. That is sure to make a big difference to the way we eat and drink.
Apparently, the coalition will “bring together those organisations serious about playing a part in tackling the big health and wellbeing challenges facing us today, with an initial focus on the following policy areas: alcohol, health, obesity and physical activity.”
The Department of Health says: “We will be setting up leadership groups on each of these areas. These groups will convene two to four times a year for half-day working sessions, with the first meetings taking place this autumn. Coalition members will chair the groups and the Department of Health will provide venues, resources and secretariat support.
“The coalition will convene in plenary at the end of year one. Each leadership group will report back on what they have achieved and taken forward. We will also support group members to champion the work of the Coalition in their own sectors.”
That is the Government’s answer to reducing alcohol abuse and obesity in this country. Incredible. The vast majority of people know that alcohol misuse and obesity cause disease and death. Yet why do so many people continue to drink and eat too much? It is the underlying causes that the Government needs to tackle.
If you have no job, live in a slum or are forced to exist on benefits, your self-esteem is probably at an all-time low. You are more than likely depressed. You are more than likely to comfort eat the wrong foods and drink too much. And no amount of Government promotion of exercise and a healthy diet is going to change your lifestyle. Only a sense of worth and aspirations for the future can do that.
And until the Government stops trying to encourage people to change their behaviour and starts giving them a real reason for doing so, some of them will continue to eat and drink themselves into an early grave.
