BHF comment
Queen's Speech prioritises the NHS, obesity and air pollution
Today, the Queen’s Speech set out the Government’s agenda for the coming parliamentary session.
We believe several of the Government’s plans could help improve and save lives if delivered in full, including for the 7.6 million people living in the UK with heart and circulatory diseases.
Rebuilding the NHS
The Speech contained a welcome commitment to provide additional funding to support the NHS to help it recover from the pandemic. It also signalled the introduction of measures to bring down waiting times and deliver the care that people need.We believe this will be vital for tackling the vast backlog of people awaiting routine care, including those living with conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
A new Health & Social Care Bill contains broader measures to improve health and social care through better integration of services.
We look forward to seeing the detail of the legislation, and will continue to engage with the Government as further investment and detailed plans for the NHS’s recovery are confirmed.
Junk food adverts
The Bill includes measures to restrict junk food advertising – 10 months after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a landmark strategy for tackling high levels of obesity in England.Obesity is a major risk factor for heart and circulatory diseases, such as heart attack and stroke. To create a healthier nation, it is vital the Government forges ahead with its obesity strategy, including introducing tougher restrictions on TV and online junk food advertisements.
Air pollution
The Environment Bill will return after months of delays caused by the pandemic. The Bill will include a framework for tackling air pollution, which can damage your heart and circulation.We are urging the Government to include legal limits on dangerous PM2.5 particles in line with guidance from the World Health Organization, to be met by 2030 at the latest.
Our comment
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, our Chief Executive, said: “These plans have the potential to transform care for the 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory conditions in the UK today, and prevent more disease in the future.“The pandemic has hit heart patients hard, with delays to care and cuts to vital medical research funding threatening to reverse decades of hard-earned progress in reducing death rates from heart disease and stroke unless we take bold action now.
“Commitments to help the NHS recover, tackle high obesity levels, reduce harmful air pollution, and increase research and development funding put us on the right path to a stronger, healthier country. By prioritising investment in these ambitions, the Government can take us one step further to help realise our vision of more lives saved from heart and circulatory diseases.”
READ ABOUT HEART CARE DISRUPTION