Scots could 'sleepwalk into obesity'

7 February 2014 Last updated at 01:16 Professor Blair said exercise could be prescribed by doctors Scots risk "sleepwalking into obesity" if they do not take more exercise, an expert has warned.

Professor Steven Blair, from the University of South Carolina, said a "greater emphasis" had to be placed on physical activity to prevent the problem reaching US proportions.

He suggested exercise could be "prescribed" to patients by their doctors or other health professionals.

He was speaking ahead of a major conference in Edinburgh.

The event has been organised by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

It will focus on sports and exercise medicine ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July.

Prescribing exercise

Prof Blair, from the university's Arnold School of Public Health, claimed physical inactivity had become "the biggest public health challenge of the 21st Century" and said people must consider their levels of activity as well as their diet.

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We are talking about changing the mind-set from thinking 'I must go on a diet' to 'I must become more active'”

End Quote Professor Steven Blair University of South Carolina He said much of the internationally-published scientific literature on the causes of obesity was "flawed", arguing that it placed "an over-emphasis on dietary intake, at the expense of measuring the positive effect of physical activity".

Prof Blair said: "Obesity rates continue to rise and in international obesity terms, Scotland is not far behind the US. If we wish to prevent levels in Scotland reaching that of the US, greater emphasis has to be placed on exercise.

"This could involve creative solutions such as considering the provision of exercise advice, or indeed the prescribing of exercise to patients by doctors and other health professionals.

"We have to become more active if we are to stop collectively sleepwalking into obesity."

Prof Blair added: "In simple terms, we are talking about changing the mind-set from thinking 'I must go on a diet' to 'I must become more active'.

"By bringing together leading experts in the field of sports medicine in the year of the Commonwealth Games, we hope to shine a light on developments in sports medicine, stimulate wider awareness about the many benefits of physical activity and creative thinking about this can be applied to improve health."

The conference will hear from a number of other speakers including Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Sir Harry Burns, former Scotland manager Craig Brown and ex-footballer Pat Nevin.

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Cash worries 'could harm NHS care'

6 February 2014 Last updated at 00:43 By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News The Nuffield Trust is concerned money worries could undermine efforts to improve care Financial pressures could get in the way of the drive to improve care following the Stafford Hospital scandal, experts say.

Figures released last week showed nearly one in three NHS trusts is forecasting a deficit this year.

Now a review by the Nuffield Trust - published a year on from the Stafford public inquiry - said money worries could hamper efforts.

The warning was echoed by inquiry chair Robert Francis QC.

He criticised what he saw as the "oppressive reactions" of the system to hospitals that ran into trouble with budgets and hitting targets.

He said hospital leaders needed to be "frank" about whether they could provide high-quality care with current levels of funding.

"It is unacceptable to pretend that all can be provided to an acceptable standard when that is not true," he added.

'Safety and quality'

Mr Francis was responding to a report by the Nuffield Trust based on in-depth interviews with 50 staff at five hospitals and online feedback from chairs and chief executives of 53.

Many reported they were taking action to improve care, but their overwhelming concern was that the state of finances was going to harm their ability to succeed.

One hospital chairman said: "The one good thing Francis has done, the really good thing, is that it has ensured that safety and quality have become more prominent - that's really important.

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Things are moving in the right direction. I believe people working in the NHS have a real appetite for change”

End Quote Julie Bailey Cure the NHS "But I am left with a real concern about the doability of it all and the need for us to find a way forward."

But despite these concerns, Mr Francis said he was pleased with the reaction to his report, published exactly a year ago, as many of his recommendations had been accepted.

"The strong message sent out to the health service by government was that important and fundamental change was required," Mr Francis said.

But he added that this represented "only a start" and that the emphasis on quality of care needed to continue.

Julie Bailey, founder of Cure the NHS, the campaign group that led the calls for the public inquiry, said she was disappointed the government had not agreed to full regulation of healthcare assistants, as the Francis Inquiry had recommended.

But she added that overall she was pleased with the progress being made.

"Things are moving in the right direction. I believe people working in the NHS have a real appetite for change."

The publication of the report came after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt praised the "Francis effect" in a speech to NHS staff in London on Wednesday.

"Twelve months on, we cannot expect to have solved everything or have completely transformed the culture of the country's largest and finest institution.

"But we have seen a real shift in priorities - new inspections, more nurses and a stronger voice for patients with compassionate care starting to replace tick-box targets as the major focus on boards and wards."

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Cash worries 'could harm NHS care'

6 February 2014 Last updated at 00:43 By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News The Nuffield Trust is concerned money worries could undermine efforts to improve care Financial pressures could get in the way of the drive to improve care following the Stafford Hospital scandal, experts say.

Figures released last week showed nearly one in three NHS trusts is forecasting a deficit this year.

Now a review by the Nuffield Trust - published a year on from the Stafford public inquiry - said money worries could hamper efforts.

The warning was echoed by inquiry chair Robert Francis QC.

He criticised what he saw as the "oppressive reactions" of the system to hospitals that ran into trouble with budgets and hitting targets.

He said hospital leaders needed to be "frank" about whether they could provide high-quality care with current levels of funding.

"It is unacceptable to pretend that all can be provided to an acceptable standard when that is not true," he added.

'Safety and quality'

Mr Francis was responding to a report by the Nuffield Trust based on in-depth interviews with 50 staff at five hospitals and online feedback from chairs and chief executives of 53.

Many reported they were taking action to improve care, but their overwhelming concern was that the state of finances was going to harm their ability to succeed.

One hospital chairman said: "The one good thing Francis has done, the really good thing, is that it has ensured that safety and quality have become more prominent - that's really important.

Continue reading the main story

Things are moving in the right direction. I believe people working in the NHS have a real appetite for change”

End Quote Julie Bailey Cure the NHS "But I am left with a real concern about the doability of it all and the need for us to find a way forward."

But despite these concerns, Mr Francis said he was pleased with the reaction to his report, published exactly a year ago, as many of his recommendations had been accepted.

"The strong message sent out to the health service by government was that important and fundamental change was required," Mr Francis said.

But he added that this represented "only a start" and that the emphasis on quality of care needed to continue.

Julie Bailey, founder of Cure the NHS, the campaign group that led the calls for the public inquiry, said she was disappointed the government had not agreed to full regulation of healthcare assistants, as the Francis Inquiry had recommended.

But she added that overall she was pleased with the progress being made.

"Things are moving in the right direction. I believe people working in the NHS have a real appetite for change."

The publication of the report came after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt praised the "Francis effect" in a speech to NHS staff in London on Wednesday.

"Twelve months on, we cannot expect to have solved everything or have completely transformed the culture of the country's largest and finest institution.

"But we have seen a real shift in priorities - new inspections, more nurses and a stronger voice for patients with compassionate care starting to replace tick-box targets as the major focus on boards and wards."

View the original article here

Read more »