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** 14 September 2022
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** UK
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** Liz Truss could scrap anti-obesity strategy in drive to cut red tape (#1)
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** Thérèse Coffey urged to act proactively in bid to tackle NHS crisis (#2)
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** Number of people in UK with long-term sickness rose to record 2.5m in July (#3)
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** Councils included in six-month energy price scheme (#4)
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** International
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** Panel discussion on Atlantic City casino smoking is scrapped (#5)
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** UK
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** Liz Truss could scrap anti-obesity strategy in drive to cut red tape
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It is reported that the UK government could scrap its entire anti-obesity strategy after ministers from the Treasury ordered an official review of measures designed to help people make healthier food choices.

The review, which Whitehall sources have called “deregulatory in focus”, is seen as part of the prime minister’s drive to cut burdens on business and help consumers through the cost of living crisis, but health campaigners said they were "deeply concerned".

Under review is the ban on sugary products being displayed at checkouts as well as “buy one get one free” multi-buy deals in shops. The restrictions on advertising certain products on TV before the 9pm watershed could also be ditched. The review could reportedly go further - and lead to Tory ministers cancelling measures that are already in place, like calorie counts on menus and the 2018 sugar tax.

Officials at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities were said by a source to be “aghast” at the prospect of Truss potentially discarding strategies to counter junk food that have been agreed and approved by parliament.

The Obesity Health Alliance, a grouping of 50 health charities and medical organisations, said setting aside the government’s main weapons against obesity, currently costing the NHS an estimated £6.1bn a year to treat, would be “a kick in the teeth”. Katharine Jenner, the alliance’s director, said: “It would be reckless to waste government and business time and money rowing back on these obesity policies, which are evidence-based and already in law. These policies are popular with the public, who want it to be easier to make healthier choices.”

The unpublicised review has also provoked unease in Conservative ranks. James Bethell, a health minister until last year, said such a major U-turn could exacerbate Britain’s obesity problem. He challenged Truss’s apparent rationale for contemplating such an unexpected departure, which is that it would cut red tape faced by business and help promote economic growth – her key priority and the focus of the chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s emergency mini-budget, expected next week.

Bethell said: “Improving the nation’s health is one of the best ways we can increase productivity and workforce capacity and thereby drive growth. So I would be very surprised by any decisions that actually strive to make the UK less healthy.”

Source: Guardian, 13 September 2022

See also: Mirror - Liz Truss U-turn over fight against obesity ([link removed])
BBC News - Anti-obesity strategy to be reviewed ([link removed])
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** Thérèse Coffey urged to act proactively in bid to tackle NHS crisis
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The new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Thérèse Coffey, has been warned to not forget about prevention, as she prepares to tackle one of the biggest NHS crises in decades.

Coffey, who will serve, not only as new health secretary but also as Liz Truss’ Deputy Prime Minister, announced last week that she was going to prioritise four key things to deal with the NHS crisis: A – Ambulances, B – Backlogs, C – Care and D – Doctors and Dentists. Following this, London-based think tank, International Longevity Centre (ILC), have urged the incoming Secretary of State to be proactive in her efforts to improve the country’s health, rather than being reactive and acting retrospectively.

Arunima Himawan, ILC Research Fellow, said: “There is a serious danger of the urgent driving out the important. Preventing ill health will not only help us find long-term solutions to backlogs, doctors’ shortages and acute care, but is key to helping the government reach its target of 5 extra healthy years by 2035.”

Coffey has already received substantial pushback on her historical efforts to overturn anti-tobacco legislation. Phil Chamberlain, Associate Professor at Bath University and leader of its Tobacco Control Research Group, said: “It is deeply worrying to think what Coffey will do the next time vital public health proposals cross her desk. Unless she changes her track record the burden on the NHS is only likely to increase. Regulations require the tobacco industry be kept well away from any government decision-making but thanks to Liz Truss, they’re already inside the Cabinet.”

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, told the Mirror: “The Secretary of State’s history on tobacco may not seem encouraging, but our experience is that ministers, once in the hot seat in the Department of Health, soon understand the need to get to grips with smoking [...] Achieving the Government’s smoke free 2030 ambition will reduce pressure on the NHS and social care, increase productivity, and at a stroke increase healthy life expectancy by more than five years, the government’s levelling up ambition.”

Source: National Health Executive, 13 September 2022
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** Number of people in UK with long-term sickness rose to record 2.5m in July
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The number of workers experiencing long-term sickness reached a record high of 2.5 million in July, even as unemployment dropped from 3.8% to 3.6% - its lowest level since 1974. Analysts said a drop in unemployment could be explained by a rise in the number of workers classified as long-term sick. Official figures giving an overview of the jobs market showed more than 150,000 workers joined the list of people with persistent ill-health in just two months to the end of July.

Almost 400,000 have exited the jobs market owing to long-term health problems since early 2020, as COVID-19 took its toll and other illnesses went untreated, but they are not classed as unemployed. An exodus by workers aged between 50 and 64 accounted for the largest losses since March 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which said the pandemic ended a 20-year run of improvements in the health of people eligible for work.

Jane Gratton, the head of people policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said the mismatch between the high level of vacancies and the number of people looking for work was harming thousands of businesses. She added: “With firms doing their best to keep afloat during a period of spiralling costs, they are also facing an extremely tight labour market which is further impacting their ability to invest and grow.”

James Smith, an economist at ING, said people looking for work had registered as inactive rather than unemployed and given ill-health as their reason for stepping back. He warned: “It’s hard to escape the conclusion that this is linked to the pressures in the NHS”

Source: Guardian, 13 September 2022
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** Councils included in six-month energy price scheme
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Council services are to be included in a six-month energy price guarantee set up by the government for businesses who do not benefit from the energy price cap.

The announcement by PM Liz Truss in Parliament last week states that a “new six-month scheme for businesses and other non-domestic energy users (including charities and public sector organisations like schools) will offer equivalent support as is being provided for consumers”.

The energy price guarantee and the new scheme have been largely welcomed by the sector, however, it has been pointed out that other measures will be needed in order to support councils and their residents with ongoing inflationary pressures.

Geoff Winterbottom, head of research and policy at the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities told LGC that “it remains to be seen whether other council services will be treated ‘like schools’ but there is cause for optimism even if only in relation to care home business models.” Mr Winterbottom said it “will be a big help of course if councils are covered” but warned that the “main inflation pressure councils are facing is from pay”. In July, the Local Government Employers made an offer of a £1,925 pay rise to all local authority staff. This equates to a 10% pay rise for the lowest paid staff. It has yet to receive a response from the unions.

Andrew Western (Lab), chair of the Local Government Association’s resources board called for longer-term thinking and said local government stood ready to work with government on these plans.

Source: Local Government Chronicle, 12 September 2022
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** International
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** Panel discussion on Atlantic City casino smoking is scrapped

A major gambling conference later this month in Atlantic City has had to cancel a highly anticipated public discussion on the issue of smoking in casinos. This is following Resorts Casino President Mark Giannantonio, recent head of the Atlantic City casinos´ trade association, which vehemently opposes a smoking ban, pulling out of the session.

Hundreds of Atlantic City's casino workers have been pushing for two years for an indoor smoking ban, saying secondhand smoke harms their health and that of casino customers. They note that casinos are the only exception to New Jersey´s clean air law, which bans smoking from other indoor workplaces. The casinos, however, say that smoking customers will abandon the casinos if there's a ban, causing lost jobs and plunging revenue as casinos still struggle to return to pre-pandemic performance levels.

A bill that would end smoking in Atlantic City´s nine casinos is pending in the state Legislature, where it enjoys broad bipartisan support. This bill however remains stalled, with no vote scheduled on it. An identical bill died in last year´s session, dedspite Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy saying he would sign it if it passes.

Aside from Giannantonio, other panellists would have been Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers´ Rights Foundation, and Eric Hausler, CEO of Greenwood Racing which owns the Park Casino in Pennsylvania, where smoking is banned.

Hallett said Atlantic City casino executives are avoiding the issue, in the wake of no replacements for Giannantonio: "It's remarkably telling that Atlantic City casinos couldn´t find one person to publicly defend their position in favour of indoor smoking [...] They know that they cannot win on the facts - even their economic arguments have been thoroughly rebutted - so they are avoiding a public discussion.”

Source: Daily Mail, 13 September 2022
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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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