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** 24 February 2025
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** UK
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** NHS England chief executive to step down amid reform plans (#1)
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** New NHS lung screening programme aims to catch cancer early (#2)
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** Lifestyle and environment outweigh genetics in determining health outcomes (#3)
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** Academic raises concerns over widespread use of weight-loss drugs (#4)
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** UK
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** NHS England chief executive to step down amid reform plans

Amanda Pritchard is stepping down as chief executive of NHS England, a decision that follows discussions with Health Secretary Wes Streeting about the future direction of the service. Her departure, set for April, comes as the government prepares for significant NHS reforms.

Her resignation follows recent criticisms from parliamentary committees questioning her ability to drive urgent change. Despite this, Pritchard highlighted the NHS’s progress under her leadership, including innovations in diagnostics and digital services.
James Mackey, a respected NHS leader, will take over as interim chief executive, with many expecting him to assume the role permanently. Streeting has emphasised the need for a dynamic leadership approach to implement the government’s 10-year NHS plan.

Source: The Guardian, 25 February 2025

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** New NHS lung screening programme aims to catch cancer early

A new NHS initiative will offer free lung cancer screenings to thousands of current and former smokers, starting in Peterborough and Huntingdon. Eligible individuals will receive an invitation for an initial telephone assessment, with those at higher risk being referred for a scan at a mobile unit.

Early detection significantly improves survival rates, yet most lung cancers are currently diagnosed at later stages when curative treatment is less effective. By 2029, the programme aims to invite all eligible individuals across the region, with the goal of identifying lung cancer sooner and increasing the chances of successful treatment.

Source: BBC News, 25 February 2025

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** Lifestyle and environment outweigh genetics in determining health outcomes

A new study has found that lifestyle choices and living conditions have a far greater impact on health and premature death than genetic factors. Researchers analysed data from nearly 500,000 UK Biobank participants and found that environmental factors accounted for 17% of the variation in mortality risk, compared to less than 2% linked to genetics.

Smoking, socioeconomic status, physical activity, and living conditions were among the strongest influences on health. Early life exposures, such as childhood body weight and maternal smoking, were also found to affect ageing and longevity decades later. In response to the study, Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation called for bold action from the government to target barriers to good health.

Source: Yahoo news, 25 February 2025

See also: Argentieri, A. M. et al. Integrating the environmental and genetic architectures of aging and mortality. Nature, 2025 ([link removed]) .

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** Academic raises concerns over widespread use of weight-loss drugs

Writing in the Guardian, Porf Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, discusses the widespread use of weight loss drugs, particularly amongst those who fall into healthy weight ranges. Prof Sridhar explains that weight-loss drugs were largely tested on older white males with diabetes, to manage this condition and states that there are not good longitudinal studies on the health impacts of using it purely for weight loss.

While the potential to impact global obesity rates and associated disease should not be overlooked, Sridhar highlights the need to address drivers of obesity: cheap unhealthy food, poor quality school meals and pricey nutritious meals. Sridhar suggests that managing weight using diet and exercise may have mental and physical health benefits that cannot be achieved using weight-loss drugs.

Source: The Guardian, 25 February 2025
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.

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