UK Parliament's Obesity Inquiry: Our Submission on Medical Weight Loss Treatments

A great summary. This is the crucial bit as there are so so many “ people” barriers to successful prevention. Systems need to be disrupted and changed. “Prevention rhetoric is easy; delivery is extraordinarily difficult. Without addressing fundamental financial flows and decision-making processes, the UK risks repeating past failures.” So True.

Prevention over cure: can Labour deliver on its ambitious health plan? At Labour Party Conference, prevention was a popular topic of conversation as healthcare leaders gathered to examine the government’s agenda. The discussion revealed both promise and significant implementation barriers. The challenge Dr Jo Bibby from The Health Foundation provided stark context: a 16-year gap in life expectancy exists between UK postcodes, driven by deprivation. Mental health services remain underfunded, public health budgets have fallen 20% in real terms over the past decade, whilst acute care continues to dominate spending. Where we are failing Nick Meade CEO of the Genetic Alliance UK highlighted newborn screening as a troubling example. The UK tests for nine conditions whilst Austria, Italy and Netherlands screen for over 30. Treatable conditions like spinal muscular atrophy go undetected. “We have not added a new condition since 2017. We are trying to run before we can walk.” The implementation gap Stuart Hoddinott Associate Director at the Institute for Government identified the core problem: “All political, structural, financial and cultural incentives in government push in the opposite direction to prevention.” Solutions require embedding prevention in spending frameworks, creating clear performance metrics, empowering local innovation, and protecting funding through ring fencing. Rob Thomas Head of Public Affairs at Novartis UK warned that the UK ranks ninth for availability of new medicines. “We need to make the UK a place where medicines are seen as part of the solution, not a cost to bear.” Critical tensions How do you balance local autonomy with national performance? How do you pool budgets across siloed services? Where is the promised Health Mission Board? As one councillor noted: “We are 18 months into our 10-year plan, and I still feel we are not quite there with what prevention looks like.” The path forward Success requires political courage to use regulatory and tax levers, sustained investment in community infrastructure, and permission for local leaders to innovate without fear of failure. Most importantly, it demands protecting prevention spending from acute care pressures. Prevention rhetoric is easy; delivery is extraordinarily difficult. Without addressing fundamental financial flows and decision-making processes, the UK risks repeating past failures. Will the UK ever succeed in delivering on preventative approaches to health? Progress is likely to be limited until we adopt a cross-government approach to improving the social determinants of health, starting in early childhood. Homecare Association #HealthPolicy #Prevention #NHS #LabourConference #PublicHealth

🩺 “Someone just submitted a Sangoma sick note at work. I’m perplexed.” This line — trending, funny to some — actually reveals something far deeper: how policy, prejudice, and ignorance still intersect in the everyday lives of ordinary South Africans. As a Traditional Health Practitioner (THP) who issues legal sick notes daily, I often encounter this same disbelief - even from HR professionals and medical personnel who should know better. Yet, the law is clear. The Traditional Health Practitioners Act (THPA), 2007 (Act No. 22 of 2007) is not a promise; it is in force. 📜 Sections 42–46 of the Act provide for transitional arrangements, which lawfully allow traditional health practitioners to continue practising — and to exercise all professional functions, including issuing certificates — pending full registration with the Council. 📜 Furthermore, Section 51 and Presidential Proclamation No. 29 of 2014 (Government Gazette No. 37600 of 01 May 2014) activated specific provisions of the THPA, including those governing registration, regulation, and recognition of THPs within South Africa’s national health framework. In simpler terms: Traditional healers are legally recognised health practitioners. Their patients are legally protected. Their sick notes, when properly issued under the Act, are legally valid. The problem is not the law; it’s the knowledge gap. Our corporate, public, and even medical systems have not evolved to integrate indigenous healing as the law itself already provides for. So before we laugh, roll eyes, or say “I’m perplexed,” let’s ask ourselves: why does it still surprise us that an African body can heal through African medicine? Because the real work now isn’t only to legislate - it’s to re-educate. — Dr. Jameo Calvert, IHP(SA) Traditional Health Practitioner | Indigenous Health Scholar

We’ve published a new blog from Senior and Global Health Vice President at the RCOG, Hassan Shehata. He shares his reflections on the importance of the Gynaecological Health Matters Programme, its impact to date, and the College’s ambition to introduce the programme in new countries going forward. Neglected gynaecological health costs women and girls their dignity, their social, psychological, educational and financial wellbeing, and even their lives. The GHM programme shows that with the right investment, the right training, and a strong commitment to equity, healthcare providers can deliver vital care and tackle inequalities in gynaecological health, helping to overcome a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Read more: https://brnw.ch/21wWid6

When High Blood Pressure Speaks, It’s Often Too Late During a recent community health outreach, I met a young mother whose blood pressure was 220/100 mmHg. She had postpartum hypertension but stopped her medication because she believed “too much BP drugs” could harm her. This dangerous misconception left her one step away from stroke or heart failure. Her story is not unique. The World Health Organization warns that over 1.4 billion people worldwide live with uncontrolled hypertension, and nearly 1 in 3 adults in our country are affected—many undiagnosed, untreated, or misinformed. Hypertension is a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, and maternal complications. Yet, it can be prevented and controlled through: • Routine blood pressure checks • Affordable and consistent access to medication • Stronger health education to dispel myths • Community-level follow-up care This is not “just part of aging.” It is a silent emergency costing us lives and productivity. 👉 To policymakers: make screening and affordable medication a national priority. 👉 To healthcare workers: let’s continue to educate, follow up, and dispel myths in our communities. 👉 To the public: check your blood pressure, take your medications, and never ignore the silent signs. Hypertension may be silent, but our response must be loud.

This article examines the public health implications of global population ageing, emphasizing the increasing demands placed on healthcare systems by rising life expectancy and declining fertility rates. The authors highlight the growing prevalence of chronic diseases and long-term care needs, noting that traditional models of care are insufficient to address these complex challenges. They stress the importance of implementing evidence-based strategies, such as integrated care delivery, preventive health initiatives, and context-specific policy reforms, to promote healthy ageing and ensure the sustainability of healthcare systems worldwide. https://lnkd.in/eWyP4Spb

A key role of healthcare public health is not just supporting effectiveness of healthcare interventions, but also equity - without conscious effort, the people who need support the most will be the ones missed. A useful new systematic review in BMJ Public Health from Sarah Sowden and team looking at the effect of interventions to reduce hospital admissions on health inequalities. "Interventions that reduced socioeconomic inequalities were those implemented and enforced across entire populations and systems or those which were supportive and tailored to the differing needs of individuals across socioeconomic groups in their design and delivery."

Even when you feel healthy, there’s huge value in a well-designed checkup. A new 2025 review, “Evidence-Based Periodic Health Examinations for Adults,” outlines how regular health exams can catch hidden problems early and support healthier living, but only if we do them smartly. Here’s what to know: ✅ Early Detection Matters — Silent conditions like hypertension or early diabetes often show no symptoms until damage is done. ✅ Focus on Evidence — The review cautions against boilerplate annual labs or scans for everyone, noting that indiscriminate testing can lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment. ✅ Tailored, Not Routine — The authors advise aligning exams with guidelines from bodies like USPSTF and CTFPHC — doing what’s proven useful, not everything under the sun. ✅ Strengthening the Doctor-Patient Bond — A thoughtful checkup isn’t just about tests: it’s a chance to discuss your health goals, risk factors, and lifestyle decisions. The Takeaway: Don’t skip your exam just because you “feel fine.” When you go, make sure it’s not just a checkbox, but meaningful, evidence-based, and tailored to you. Read more: https://loom.ly/8qhmyhk #PreventiveCare #HealthInsights #HealthMatters #EarlyDetection #WellnessWithWhitman

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions affect nearly 1 in 3 people in the UK, and yet they remain under-recognised in national health priorities. From arthritis and back pain to osteoporosis, MSK conditions are a leading cause of pain, disability, and workplace absence. They impact 20 million people, cost the economy billions in lost productivity. But this is not just a health system issue, it’s a quality of life issue. MSK conditions limit independence, mobility, and participation in work, family, and community life. Many are chronic and progressive, particularly affecting people in deprived and underserved communities. We welcome the ambitions in the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan to shift care towards prevention, digital innovation, and community services. But this shift must include MSK. We are calling for: - A Modern Service Framework for MSK - Investment in scalable prevention campaigns across the life course - MSK services in every neighbourhood - Guaranteed rapid access to early intervention - A national persistent pain improvement programme - Stronger links between MSK, work, and health - A robust workforce plan valuing Allied Health Professionals and the wider MSK workforce MSK must be fully integrated into the future of the NHS if we are to reduce pain, restore independence and keep people well and in work. Sport Rehabilitators skillset and knowledge perfectly match these requirements. During Bone and Joint Week 2025, we urge decision-makers to recognise MSK for what it is: a major public health challenge and an opportunity for transformative change. #BoneAndJointWeek 

Wednesday, 8 October Release of joint statement urging action to tackle medicalized female genital mutilation At an event at the FIGO World Summit in Cape Town, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), WHO, ICM, FIGO, and the Asia Network to End FGM/C will issue a joint statement urging urgent action to tackle the medicalization of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the Asia-Pacific region. Medicalized FGM – where this harmful practice is undertaken by health workers - is one of the most profound violations of the human rights and ethical principles that underpin healthcare practice. In 2024, over 230 million women and girls globally had undergone FGM, with 80 million of them living in Asia. Around 1 in 4 acts of FGM are now thought to be carried out by professional health workers. Evidence shows that no matter who performs FGM, it causes harm. Some studies suggest it can even be more dangerous when performed by health workers, since it can result in deeper, more severe cuts. Its “medicalization” also risks unintentionally legitimizing the practice and thereby jeopardizes broader efforts to abandon the practice. The statement will call for action by health workers as well as health authorities, policy makers and health worker associations.