THE Journal’s campaign to get the North East in shape has won support from the Government.
Health Minister Simon Burns hailed the Great North Fitness Revolution as a step forward in improving the health of the nation.
The Great North Fitness Revolution is encouraging as many people as possible to make even small improvements to what they eat and drink, and what they do for exercise.
The Minister said the Government had developed “a responsibility deal” to improve the health of the nation and to “bring it home” to people that it was important to live healthily, and eat five fruit and vegetables a day.
“It’s not nannying but nudging, providing people with the education, the information for them to take the decisions both on their diets, on exercise on alcohol consumption, on smoking, etc.
“And we support any moves that responsibly promote that message and get people to give more consideration to their lifestyles, and to their general health and wellbeing,” said Mr Burns. “So what is going on in the North East is to be applauded as one step in the country to help push that agenda forward for the benefit of the general health of the nation.”
In an exclusive interview, the Health Minister also defended the coalition’s controversial overhaul to the NHS as essential to protect its future.
“In the next 20 years you will see a doubling of population of people over the age of 85, we are seeing the drugs budget dramatically increasing. For example last year the increase was £600m. You are seeing more sophisticated, more effective treatments which all cost money.”
He added: “So there are pressures on the health service to modernise, to be able to keep pace with that and move forward so that we have a first class health system giving the finest treatment to patients.”
Mr Burns said Labour in power had planned to make £20bn of savings over three years to reinvest in NHS services, but the Government had extended that “tight” deadline to help the health service. He also hinted some NHS workers and politicians were being obstructive because they simply “don’t like change for the sake of change” – despite the coalition’s goal being to put patients at the heart of everything.
He said it was “premature” to say whether the proposals would change radically enough to require fresh Parliamentary scrutiny until the report was delivered and what recommendations had been agreed to by the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Secretary.
