Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential economic benefits of reducing the prevalence of sight loss.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The benefits of reducing sight loss for both the economy and an individual’s quality of life are clear. That is why prevention, early detection, and timely treatment are essential. In England, over 12 million free National Health Service sight tests are provided annually. Diabetic retinopathy screening is also offered annually to individuals aged 12 years old or over, with diabetes. The Government also has well established programmes on reducing smoking and obesity, both long terms risk factors for sight loss.
NHS England’s transformation programme is considering how eye care services should be commissioned for the future, to improve access to care and patient outcomes. The National Institute for Health and Care Research also continues to invest to support research into the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of eye conditions.
Mentions:
1: Earl of Effingham (Con - Excepted Hereditary) cases linked to obesity”. - Speech Link
2: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con - Life peer) A more physically active nation can help to ease the pressure on front-line services such as our National - Speech Link
Found: and social care, Public health Departments: Department of Health and Social Care On this
Mentions:
1: Yousaf, Humza (SNP - Glasgow Pollok) adult, children’s and young people’s weight management services. - Speech Link
2: Yousaf, Humza (SNP - Glasgow Pollok) He is right about the various issues affecting obesity. - Speech Link
3: Yousaf, Humza (SNP - Glasgow Pollok) engaging with the health board. - Speech Link
Asked by: Simon Lightwood (Labour (Co-op) - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to increase access to NHS-provided weight loss surgery in the Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning National Health Service specialist and bariatric weight management services. Rates of bariatric surgery fell across West Yorkshire during the pandemic as hospitals focused on surgeries that were more clinically urgent. More patients are, however, starting to receive treatment again. To speed up access to surgery, the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts, which includes the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, are working to ensure that people who have been waiting the longest times are offered the opportunity to have their surgery at an alternative hospital, if they wish.
Additionally, local areas and care providers in West Yorkshire are working together to review obesity and bariatric surgery commissioning policies and processes to ensure that they are providing care in the best and most efficient way possible, to make the most of resources and to offer treatment to more people who need it.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to support research into thyroid diseases; and what steps she is taking to support patients with hypothyroidism.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including thyroid disease. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions.
NIHR funds and supports research into hyperthyroidism through its research infrastructure and research programmes, a current example being a study investigating the risks of developing obesity, cardio-metabolic conditions, and risk of death in a cohort of 25,000 newly diagnosed patients with hyperthyroidism, and to compare the risks of these outcomes between all three modalities used to treat hyperthyroidism.
Health services for people with hypothyroidism are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs), which are best placed to make decisions regarding the provision of health services to their local population subject to local prioritisation and funding. In doing so, we expect ICBs to have due regard to relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and other guidance when commissioning services.
Written Evidence Nov. 29 2023
Inquiry: Men's healthFound: IMH0082 - Men's health Diabetes UK Written Evidence
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of childhood obesity levels in (a) City of Durham constituency, (b) County Durham, (c) the North East and (d) England; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle childhood obesity in each of those areas.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) collects data on children aged four to five years old (Reception) and 10 to 11 years old (Year 6).
The following table shows data on obesity prevalence from the NCMP in the academic year 2022-23. Data is not available at Parliamentary constituency level but is available at local authority, regional and England levels:
Percentage of children living with obesity | ||
Area | Reception (%) | Year 6 (%) |
County Durham | 11.8 | 25.6 |
North East | 11.3 | 25.8 |
England | 9.2 | 22.7 |
Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support children and families to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. Local authorities can fund behavioural weight management services from their Public Health Grant.
In England, new regulations on out-of-home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of less healthy products in key selling locations in store and online came into force in October 2022. The location restrictions are the single most impactful obesity policy in reducing children’s calorie consumption, and are expected to accrue health benefits of over £57 billion and provide savings to the National Health Service of over £4 billion over the next 25 years.
We are also working with the food industry to make further progress on reformulation and ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices. We have seen important successes including the average sugar content of drinks subject to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy decreasing by 46% between 2015 and 2020. There has also been success in some categories of the sugar reduction programme, including a 14.9% reduction of sugar in retailer- and manufacturer-branded breakfast cereals and a 13.5% reduction in yogurts and fromage frais.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure health intervention programmes have a focus on reducing adult obesity.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are delivering an ambitious programme of work to create a healthier environment, to help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, sugar, or salt in key selling locations came into force on 1 October 2022. We will be implementing restrictions on the sale of less healthy products by volume price, for instance three for two offers, and will introduce restrictions on the advertising of less healthy products before 9:00pm on television. We will also be implementing restrictions on paid for online advertising for less healthy products, from 1 October 2025.
We are working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices, and make further progress on reformulation. In addition, the Food Data Transparency Partnership will help enable and encourage food companies to voluntarily demonstrate progress on the healthiness of their sales.
We are also supporting more than three million children through the Healthy Foods Schemes, and helping schools boost physical activity to help children maintain a healthy weight and good overall health through the Primary School PE and Sport Premium and the School Games Organiser Network. In addition, local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services and the NHS Health Check Programme, to support their communities in achieving and maintaining a healthier weight.
Oral Evidence Mar. 14 2024
Inquiry: Food, Diet and ObesityFound: I want us to focus on how food, diet and obesity affect health outcomes.