According to an analysis published by the British Heart Foundation, more than 500 people a week are dying needlessly of heart attacks, heart disease or strokes. The figures were published as Prime Minister Sunak revealed his healthy workforce 15-year plan, suggesting that a national health strategy needs to be adopted.
PM Rishi Sunak’s plan will train, retrain, and reform staff at the NHS to help them tackle the health crisis. The plan however has gathered mixed reviews from health and exercise professionals. Professor Sir Muir Gray, the former chief knowledge officer at the NHS argued that the plan was missing two main features:
“The first of these key features should be a focus on living longer and better, not just preventing death from single diseases instead increasing healthy life expectancy, compressing the period of dependency and reducing the need for health and social care. This could start before next winter.
“Secondly we need to make it clear that self-care is the most important type of healthcare for prevention and for the optimal management of long-term conditions.”
The activities sector has urged the government to work with the physical activity sector to form a strategy based on prevention. Huw Edward, CEO of ukactive, drew attention to the rise in cardiovascular problems as a reason for an urgent need for a UK-wide healthier lifestyle strategy.
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