Britons could lose health cover in Europe after Brexit, report warns

Millions of Britons could have their access to free health insurance taken away after Brexit, a parliamentary report has said.

MPs on the health select committee urged the government to offer more guarantees for Britons visiting the continent after hearing evidence that without the right to receive treatment in countries that are part of the European Economic Area, people with cancer could find it too expensive to go to Europe.

In a strongly worded report on the effect of Brexit on health and social care, the committee said the challenges created by losing reciprocal health arrangements should not be underestimated.

British travellers can currently use the European health insurance card, which guarantees access to healthcare free or at a reduced cost in Europe. The EU member state providing treatment is able to claim back costs from the patient’s home country. Some estimates suggest that up to 27 million Britons have the cards.

The inquiry heard evidence that losing this agreement could create challenges for many travellers, including disabled people and those with mental or physical health conditions. Prof Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said a week’s full private health insurance for a holiday in France for someone with diabetes or mild depression would cost between £800 and £2,500.

The report also noted that hundreds of thousands of expats living abroad could lose reciprocal healthcare rights, leaving some facing hardship. McKee, a professor of European public health, said many Britons in Spain have properties that are now worth little. “Many will come back in a state of poverty because they bought properties in Andalusia and other places … They will be throwing themselves on the mercy of the state when they come back,” he said.

Christopher Chantery, a British resident in France, told the committee many pensioners moved to the country “in good faith on the implicit promise that these arrangements would continue. Suddenly, something happens that brings those arrangements to an end. It is absolutely terrible for many people”.

British nationals living abroad have to get an S1 form, which gives them health cover, paid for by the UK, within Europe.

The committee, which includes Labour and Conservative MPs, called on the government to preserve the existing system as opposed to seeking a new arrangement. What was currently in place offered taxpayers good value for money, it said.

In the same report, the committee warned that the Brexit vote could lead to a brain drain, with morale among EU nationals in the NHS low due to uncertainty about their future. It called for more reassurances and said the government should continue to be able to recruit the “brightest and best from all parts of the globe” after Britain leaves the EU.

The Department of Health could not comment due to general election purdah rules. But when asked about reciprocal healthcare at the start of the year, the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said it was one of the rights of those who retired to Spain or France and he wanted to secure it early on in negotiations, but could not guarantee this.

Speaking to the Guardian, Prof Jean McHale, the director of the Centre for Health Law, Science and Policy at the University of Birmingham, said: “If questions of healthcare provision and patient mobility are not included in the negotiations, if there is not a transitional period and we move to hard Brexit, there will be major practical questions. What happens at midnight on Brexit D day to the person in hospital in another EU member state who has been in a car accident?”

Britons could lose health cover in Europe after Brexit, report warns

Royals launch campaign to get Britons talking about mental health

Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have enlisted a rapper, a Royal Marine and a Labour spin doctor to try to push stigma about discussing mental health beyond what they believe is a “tipping point” and into public acceptability.

The royals are trying to use their high profile to convince the public that “shattering stigma on mental health starts with simple conversations”. The rapper Stephen Manderson, known as Professor Green, and the comedian Ruby Wax have joined other public figures and individuals who have suffered mental illness to make short films for their mental health campaign, Heads Together, and talk openly about their experiences of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

“Attitudes to mental health are at a tipping point,” the royals said in a joint statement. “We hope these films show people how simple conversations can change the direction of an entire life.”

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Alastair Campbell and Fiona Millar discuss mental health

In the clips Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former director of communications in Downing Street, discusses his depression and breakdowns with his wife, Fiona Millar, including recalling how he got so low he punched himself in the face repeatedly. In another encounter the former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff told Manderson: “The hardest thing for me initially was talking. I’m not a big talker. I’m from the north of England. I’m from a working-class family. We don’t talk about our feelings.”

“It was no different for me growing up in a council estate in east London,” replied the rapper. “It is just not something you spoke about.”

The royals also released the largest ever survey of public attitudes to mental health, conducted by YouGov, which found almost half the population had a conversation about mental health in the last three months. Women are more likely to talk about the issue than men and young adults are almost twice as likely to discuss it than people aged over 65.

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Freddie Flintoff and Professor Green

However, very few of the 5,000 surveyed – just 3% – said they had approached someone from a local support organisation, and a similar amount, 2%, spoke to someone in the human resources department at work about the issue, despite almost 12m working days being lost to work-related stress, anxiety and depression in 2015-16.

Heads Together is a coalition of eight mental health charities, including Mind and the Campaign Against Living Miserably (Calm), organised from Kensington Palace. Prince Harry is championing the issue after fellow servicemen suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and following his time volunteering in the army’s personnel recovery units. Prince William is understood to have been motivated after attending several suicides as an air ambulance pilot, and the Duchess of Cambridge is said to be interested in how mental health affects family life.

By campaigning for people to help each other by talking more, the royals hope to avoid a more politicised issue: claims that funding for NHS mental health services is being effectively cut. Last November an analysis by the King’s Fund thinktank showed 40% of mental health trusts saw their income fall in 2015-16. This was despite the government’s commitment to parity of esteem for mental health and assurances from NHS England that almost 90 per cent of plans submitted by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) last year included mental health funding increases.

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Ruby Wax and producer Ed Bye

Heads Together will be the London Marathon’s lead charity this year, and the former England footballer Rio Ferdinand and the comedian Stephen Fry have also recorded testimonies set to be released next month.

People from other professions have also contributed. Phil Eaglesham, a Royal Marine who completed tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, is filmed talking with his wife, Julie, about how his struggle with a debilitating illness resulted in him trying to take his own life, although he told no one.

“I was ashamed,” he said. “There’s a stigma around mental health and how that was perceived and at that point I felt I was weak.”

When he finally did speak out, “things improved and I got help”.

“There is no way out without talking,” he said.

The TV journalist and newscaster Mark Austin discusses with his daughter Maddy how he handled her anorexia.

“I couldn’t even come to terms with how to stop it or how to help you,” he told her. “It was like you were determined to kill yourself. I remember at one stage saying if you want to go ahead and starve yourself to death, you go ahead. I obviously didn’t mean it but I was so helpless.”

In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here

Royals launch campaign to get Britons talking about mental health

Smoking numbers hit new low as Britons turn to vaping to help quit cigarettes

The number of smokers in Britain has reached its lowest point since records began in 1974, according to new data, while more than a million people say they are using e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 17.2% of adults in the UK smoked in 2015, down from 20.1% in 2010.

Smoking levels are highest in Scotland, at 19.1%, followed by Northern Ireland, where it is 19%, Wales on 18.1% and England on 16.9%. The numbers have been dropping fastest in recent years in Scotland and Wales. Among local authorities, Blackpool is the only one to feature consistently in the 10 heaviest smoking areas between 2012 and 2015. In 2015, 25.3% of adults in Blackpool smoked.

Smoking by country

The data also shows that 2.3 million people were e-cigarette users in England, Scotland and Wales in 2015, about 4% of the population. Their survey also shows that 4 million more people describe themselves as former e-cigarette users. A further 2.6 million say they have tried them but not gone on to use them regularly.

Half of the 2.3 million who were current users of e-cigarettes at the time of the survey said they were doing it to quit smoking. A further 22% said they were vaping because it was less harmful than smoking. Only 10% said they chose to vape because it was cheaper than buying cigarettes. Others – 9% – said they used e-cigarettes mainly because they were permitted indoors.

The figures will bolster the arguments of those who believe e-cigarettes have a major role to play in ending the tobacco epidemic. The issue has been hugely controversial among public health doctors and campaigners, some of whom consider e-cigarettes to be a stalking horse for the tobacco industry which hopes to make smoking acceptable again and has invested in vaping.

e-cigarette users

The World Health Organisation has expressed concern over e-cigarettes, but Public Health England has said vaping may be 95% safer than smoking tobacco.

Half of current smokers say they have tried e-cigarettes, and 14.4% of current smokers also vape.

Some of the statistics suggest that it is often the heavier smokers who turn to e-cigarettes. Those who also vape smoke marginally more cigarettes per day on average than those who do not – 11.8 versus 11.3. Smokers who have given up on e-cigarettes smoke 12.2 per day versus 10.6 among those who have never used an e-cigarette. Smokers who have children at home are also more inclined to use e-cigarettes.

The ONS vaping data is from the opinions and lifestyle survey 2014-15 and relate just to Great Britain. The ONS figures on general smoking trends include northern Ireland.

smoking graphic

Men are more likely to smoke – 19.3% do, compared with 15.3% of women. Smoking is most common in the 25-34 age group, where 23% smoked in 2015. It is least common in the over-65s, among whom 8.8% smoke. But the biggest decline since 2010 has been among the 18-24 year-olds, where it has dropped five percentage points to 20.7% in five years.

Figures for Great Britain also show that smokers have been cutting back on the numbers of cigarettes they consume. Average consumption is down to 11.3 cigarettes per day, the lowest number since 1974.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH said: “The decline in smoking is very encouraging and shows that strong tobacco control measures are working. However, the government can’t leave it to individual smokers to try to quit on their own. If the downward trend is to continue we urgently need a new tobacco control plan for England, and proper funding for public health and for mass media campaigns. That’s essential if the prime minister is to live up to her promise to tackle health and social inequality.”

Smoking numbers hit new low as Britons turn to vaping to help quit cigarettes

Britons "bumped off" EU medical research grant applications, MPs told

British medical researchers are being removed from applications for EU research grants by European colleagues because of Brexit, MPs have been told.

Prof David Lomas, representing UK university hospitals, told MPs that Britain’s position at the forefront of medial advancement was threatened were it no longer able to access the European Research Council, one of the world’s leading funders of scientific research.

“One big issue for most of hospital academics is applying for grant applications, and we’ve seen people bumped off grant applications to the EU,” he told the health select committee.

Applications to the ERC are usually made by consortiums of researchers from a variety of EU countries. Britain has a strong track record of taking the lead in these groupings.

“Previously having a British member would help you in your application to get funding … Nowyou are less than an asset, so we have had academics removed from grant applications,” Lomas said.

He said it was vital for patients that Britain continued to be part of leading edge research and was pressing the government to argue the case for continuing to contribute to the ERC on a pay-as-you-go system.

“If we don’t get the very best people we don’t drive the research and innovation where we punch above our weight. If we can’t attract the very best, we can’t lead in the innovations that will lead to patient benefits.”

Lomas said his own university, University College London, where he is vice-provost of health, and the University of Cambridge were huge beneficiaries of the ERC, as was the UK.

“We raised €760m [£642m] between 2007 and 2013 from the ERC. My own university and Cambridge are neck and neck for bringing more in to any university [than any other] in the EU,” he told the committee.

Brexit was also affecting recruitment of high-calibre staff in medical schools, with teaching hospitals in Leeds and Glasgow reporting people pulling out of job offers, he continued. “So we have lost stellar people who would have come otherwise.”

Concern over the right to live and work in the UK after Brexit was already affecting recruitment across the board, said Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers.

Giving evidence before the select committee, he said the controversial application process for permanent residency cards involving an 85-page application form had proved counterproductive, and was deterring valuable healthworkers from planning to stay in the UK after Brexit.

Both men were speaking just weeks after the Nursing and Midwifery Council reported a sharp decline in registrations from Europe.

Just 101 nurses and midwives from the EU27 registered to work in the UK in December, down from 1,300 in July, the committee heard. About 5% of nurses and 10% of doctors in the NHS are EU nationals.

Mortimer said EU staff were critical to the smooth running of the the health service. “We cannot believe that the NHS can do without our EU national colleagues,” he said.

One area that could be more heavily impacted than hospitals is social care, with EU nationals plugging the gaps, particularly in rural areas where it was difficult to recruit British staff, MPs heard.

“Some areas it has been very difficult to recruit, rural areas are very difficult to recruit people in social care, so EU [nationals] have come into this area,” said Martin Green, chief executive of Care England.

Britons "bumped off" EU medical research grant applications, MPs told

Britons spending more on food and leisure than booze, smoking and drugs

Britons are spending less on cigarettes, drugs and alcohol and more on eating out and hotels, according to the latest official snapshot of family spending.

Weekly spending on booze, fags and narcotics fell below £12 for the first time since the survey began, partly reflecting the decline in the number of people who smoke.

On the other hand, households spent more than £45 a week on restaurants and hotels for the first time in five years, the Office for National Statistics said. The figures are for the year ending March 2016.

Jo Bulman, ONS statistician, said: “While overall household spending didn’t change much in real terms since the previous year, we did see some interesting shifts in the types of things people are spending their money on.”

Spending on alcohol, cigarettes and drugs has fallen below £12 a week.

The report showed that households have still not fully recovered from the financial crisis, with family spending still below the levels seen before 2007.

Average total spending – adjusted for inflation – was unchanged from a year earlier at £528.90 a week. Low income families continued to spend a higher proportion of their spending on food and energy compared with people on higher incomes.

Transport was the biggest costs for households over the year, averaging £72.70 a week or 14% of spending. It was closely followed by housing – excluding mortgage interest payments and council tax – fuel and power, which averaged at £72.50 a week.

Average weekly family spending in the year ending March 2016

• Transport: £72.70

• Housing, fuel and power: £72.50

• Recreation and culture: £68

• Food and non-alcoholic drinks: 56.80

• Restaurants and hotels: £45.10

• Miscellaneous goods and services: £39.70

• Household goods and services: £35.50

• Clothing and footwear: £23.50

• Communication: £16

• Alcoholic drinks, tobacco and narcotics: £11.40

• Health: £7.20

• Education: £7

Britons spending more on food and leisure than booze, smoking and drugs

500,000 Britons a year will be diagnosed with cancer by 2035, study shows

More than half a million Britons a year will be diagnosed with cancer by 2035, making it hard for NHS services to cope with the extra demand for testing and treatment, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has warned.

The number of people across the UK found to have cancer every year is expected to rise from 352,000 to an estimated 514,000 in less than 20 years – more than 160,000 extra cases annually – according to research in the British Journal of Cancer.

The vast majority of the expected 162,000 additional cases – 141,000 – will be caused by the ageing and growing population. However, another 12,600 will be the result of a combination of lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol or poor diet, and also improved screening for the disease.

In 1993, 127,000 men and 128,000 women were diagnosed with the disease. By 2014, the numbers had risen to 173,000 and 179,000 respectively. This future trends analysis, based on examining cancer data going back to 1979, predicts that 244,000 women and more than 270,000 men will be diagnosed in 2035.

Those big rises mean there is an “urgent need to plan for the future of NHS cancer services, which are already stretched to the limit as they struggle to cope with a growing and ageing population”, CRUK said.

“The number of people getting cancer in the UK will incerease sharply in the next two decades. This is mostly the result of an ageing and growing population but, for women, lifestyle factors are playing an increasingly important role”, said Dr Rebecca Smittenaar, the study’s lead author and CRUK’s statistics manager.

Part of the predicted increase in cancer rates has been attributed to improved screening for the disease. Photograph: Getty/Caiaimage

People’s risk of developing cancer will also rise in actual terms, separate to the growing numbers diagnosed, due to increased life expectancy and population expansion.

Cancer incidence rates have risen for both sexes in an almost unbroken way since records began in 1979, though they have recently begun edging downwards for men. Men have always been more likely than women to be diagnosed.

In 1993, 783 f every 100,000 men aged 15 or over were diagnosed with cancer. That rose to 808 per 100,000 in 2014 and is predicted to increase again, albeit slightly, to 812 per 100,000 in 2035.

The number of women in that age group who developed cancer rose from 564 per 100,000 people in 1993 to 664 per 100,000 in 2014. It is due to hit 685 by 2035, according to the study.

CRUK last year revised its prediction for the number of people who would develop cancer at some point in their lives from one in three to one in two.

Sir Harpal Kumar, the charity’s chief executive, said the expected increases in cancer cases were “shocking”. However, four in 10 cancers could be prevented if people drank less, did not smoke, ate a healthy diet and took more exercise, he said.

500,000 Britons a year will be diagnosed with cancer by 2035, study shows

Elderly Britons bearing brunt of cuts to social care, report warns

Elderly people are bearing the brunt of cuts to social care, according to a new report that also warns of increasing numbers of care homes going bust.

The study, from the King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust, found that the care and support older people received depended on where they lived and how rich they were rather than their level of need.

Reductions in how much local authorities pay care homes – or below-inflation increases – mean that some are on the brink of collapse, leaving vulnerable people at risk.

The cuts, combined with shortages of nurses and care workers, the introduction of the national living wage for staff and increasing reliance on people who can self-pay means many care homes are under unprecedented pressure, the report said.

It warned of future firms going bust, in a similar way to the collapse of Southern Cross in 2011, and others leaving the market.

It said: “The possibility of large-scale provider failures is no longer a question of if but when, and such a failure would jeopardise continuity of the care on which older people depend.”

Over the past five years, local authority spending on care for older and disabled people has fallen by 11% in real terms and the number of people who received state-funded help had fallen by around a quarter.

This means growing numbers of people are now outside the system, struggling with basic needs such as washing, dressing or getting out of bed.

The report warned: “No one has a full picture of what has happened to older people who are no longer entitled to publicly-funded care: the human and financial costs to them and those who care for them are mounting.”

Unpaid carers, such as family and friends, will be expected to do even more in future, the report added. It said public spending on adult social care was set to fall to less than 1% of GDP by 2020, adding that councils would struggle to meet basic statutory duties.

The fact care is becoming more about what people can afford means those who are “relatively well off and well informed” will do better than the poorest, “who are reliant on an increasingly threadbare local authority safety net”.

The report also pointed to the rapid growth in delayed discharges from hospital – so-called bed-blocking, which is now at its highest ever level – as a symptom of issues with social care.

Richard Humphries, assistant director of policy at the King’s Fund, said: “The failure of successive governments to reform social care has resulted in a failing system that leaves older people, their families and carers to pick up the pieces.

“Putting this right will be a key test of the prime minister’s promise of a more equal country that works for everyone – there is no more burning injustice in Britain today than older people being denied the care they need to live with independence and dignity.”

Ruth Thorlby, deputy director of policy at the Nuffield Trust, said: “No one can predict whether they will have care needs later in life. But if they do find they need help with the basics – eating, washing, going to the toilet – most will discover that unlike a health problem, where care is free, they somehow have to manage themselves.

“Our research found that local authorities have done their best to make savings while protecting funding for the poorest, but care providers are struggling on the low fees councils can afford.

“Shortages of home care staff and affordable care home places mean older people are often stuck in hospital, putting both their lives and vital NHS processes on hold. The number of older people needing care is increasing and yet we are continuing to put less money in.”

Figures show a 26% reduction in the numbers of older people receiving local authority-funded care, from more than 1.1 million in 2009 to 853,615 in 2013-14.

Phil McCarvill, deputy director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said: “Insufficient social care funding is now the most urgent threat to the NHS and the wider health and care system.”

The parliamentary and health service ombudsman, Julie Mellor, added: “Our investigations have uncovered that older patients often fall through the cracks between health and social care when discharged from hospital, causing them and their families untold distress and suffering.

“The issues of funding and lack of integration between health and social care need to be addressed so that older people get the support they so desperately need.”

A Department of Health spokesman said: “We understand the social care system is under pressure, and this government is committed to ensuring those in old age throughout the country can get affordable and dignified care.

“That’s why we have introduced landmark reforms to ensure no-one should have to sell their home to pay for care in their lifetime, and why we’re significantly increasing the amount of money local authorities have access to for social care, by up to £3.5bn by 2020.

“Our Care Act gave new rights to carers and we will be publishing a new carers strategy shortly.”

Elderly Britons bearing brunt of cuts to social care, report warns

Three in four Britons unclear on obesity link to​​ cancer – poll

Three out of four Britons do not know the types of cancer that are linked to obesity, a poll suggests, raising concerns that widespread ignorance is hampering efforts to encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles. Men and poorer people are most likely not to know about the connection. However, almost 80% of women are unaware that being dangerously overweight can cause female-only forms of cancer such as ovarian and womb cancer.

“Cancer isn’t at the forefront of people’s minds when talking about obesity, and that’s really concerning,” said Alison Cox, director of cancer prevention at Cancer Research UK. “Few understand that excess weight increases the risk of several cancers, including some of the most common, such as breast cancer.”

The charity undertook a survey of 3,293 adults selected to be representative of the whole UK population. It found that 23.8% of men and 26.9% of women indicated that they knew of the link between obesity and cancer.

Broken down by social grades, 30.1% of ABs (middle and upper middle class), 19.2% of C2s (skilled working class) and 22% of DEs (working class and unemployed) were aware of the extra risks associated with obesity.

When asked about specific forms of cancer, 60.1% of respondents said they knew obesity could cause bowel cancer and 55.2% said they were aware of a link with liver cancer, while far fewer knew of obesity’s link to womb cancer (21.5%), ovarian cancer (22%), prostate cancer (27.5%), breast cancer (31.1%), oesophageal cancer (31.2%) and bladder cancer (32.4%). CRUK says obesity is a contributory factor in 10 forms of cancer, and estimates that obesity causes about 18,100 new cases of cancer each year in the UK.

Cox said: “It’s the government’s responsibility to inform the public of the link and also to take action to tackle the obesity epidemic, starting with the health of the nation’s children.” She said adverts for foods high in fat, salt or sugar should be banned during all family programmes before 9pm, not just children’s shows.

Sarah Toule, head of health information at the World Cancer Research Fund, said the survey findings confirmed its own research that “people just don’t know enough about the dangerous links between obesity and cancer”. She added: “We live in a society where we are surrounded by advertising and offers for unhealthy junk food. Just eating an extra 100 calories a day can lead to gaining a stone within a year. It is therefore important that the public understand that they need to make conscious healthy choices for themselves and their children.”

Simple, inexpensive measures could help people live more healthily and reduce their cancer risk, such as walking an extra 15 minutes or eating a piece of fruit instead of a packet of crisps, Toule suggested.

Excess body fat can cause cancer for several reasons. Fat cells release hormones such as oestrogen, which can increase the risk of cancers including breast cancer. Research has also found that storing too much fat around the body prompts the body to produce growth hormones. Higher levels of those have been linked to a higher risk of developing cancer.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said the link between obesity and cancer was part of the motivation for its recent childhood obesity “plan of action”, which has been widely criticised. “Our obesity plan is world-leading, with more far-reaching and comprehensive measures than anything pursued by any other western government”, she said.

Three in four Britons unclear on obesity link to​​ cancer – poll

From long jump to rowing: Britons take part in national sports day

Hundreds of thousands of people across the UK have been taking part in sports events after clubs and sports centres opened their doors for free to celebrate Team GB’s Olympic success.

About 2,600 free sporting events were being held, involving up to 60 Olympians, while ITV switched off all seven of its channels for an hour at 9.30am to encourage people to get involved.

The national sports day, called I Am Team GB, aimed to rally the British public to get active, and follows a mixed legacy from London 2012, when sports participation slumped despite GB climbing the medal table.

The Olympian Greg Rutherford opened his back garden, complete with long jump, to young people in Woburn Sands, near Milton Keynes. “It’s an interesting concept, come to my back garden and jump into the pit that I train on for the world championships, Olympics and everything else,” he said.

The long jump has a 52 metre runway and a 9 metre pit for children from the local athletics club to try out.

“For me, it’s just very important for kids to be getting involved. We live in a day and age now where there’s so many different distractions; there’s so many different things youngsters can do. When I was growing up, we didn’t have a computer in the house until I was 13 or 14. Nowadays kids learn to walk and they can play on an iPad. When I was younger I was getting out climbing trees and being active.”

Max Whitlock ‘switches off’ ITV. Photograph: ITV/PA

At London’s Copper Box arena, which was used to host the London 2012 Games, people were trying out activities, from handball to belly dancing, alongside the double gold medallist and gymnast Max Whitlock.

Nicole Sherapin, from Stratford, took her two children to the event. “I watched the Olympics every time it was on. It’s great that Team GB came second in the medal table, so when I saw this on the TV this morning I thought I’d bring the kids here because they’re really into sport and it’s something fun to do with it being the school holidays. They’ve tried the bikes, badminton, table tennis. I want my youngest to have a go at handball because it’s an alternative to football.”

In Reading, the Olympic rowing champion Helen Glover was offering advice to people who wanted to try out the sport. “There’ll be some challenges on the rowing machine. I think we’ll try to get some boats out if anyone wants to have a go at rowing. It’s really good that we’re challenging ideas and trying new things, it’s the first time ever a TV channel has been switched off to encourage people to leave the house and I think it’s amazing.”

She added that although she may give out some tips on the secrets of becoming an Olympic success, the event was about encouraging newcomers to have some fun. “I won’t be talking, unless people ask specifically, about how to be the next big thing, it will be about how to enjoy it and what sport to try.”

I Am Team GB is organised by the national lottery, ITV, UK Sport and the British Olympic Association.

Adam Chataway, the marketing manager at Camelot, said he expected hundreds of thousands of people to take part. “The Olympics has obviously caught the imagination of the nation and what we really wanted to do was bottle that and use the excitement of the Olympians returning to their communities to get out there, get active and give people the encouragement to get involved and give sport a go.”

From long jump to rowing: Britons take part in national sports day

Heatwave: Britons urged to consider heed of Uk weather overall health warnings

“This outstanding climate can really consider men and women by shock,” said Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal University of GPs.

“The individuals who are most at threat in scorching climate have a tendency to be the elderly, particularly the quite elderly, people who have plenty of other well being problems.

“Avoid conditions in which you are going to get overheated. Do not go for a jog if you are feeling hot presently. Think about it, plan ahead.”

Ms Stokes-Lampard extra that medical professionals expertise a surge in phone-outs in the course of heatwaves, notably from quite elderly and frail.

“Hospitals then often get the brunt of it due to the fact folks are often so dehydrated that the only way to assist them is a journey to hospital, which clearly no person would like,” she said.

Hospitals and care homes have been put on alert for an increase in admissions with well being and social providers employees on standby to get in touch with the sick and vulnerable.

Public health officials stated they have been notably concerned about Muslims fasting for Ramadan.

Heatwave: Britons urged to consider heed of Uk weather overall health warnings

Heatwave: Britons urged to get heed of United kingdom climate wellness warnings

“This exceptional weather can actually consider folks by surprise,” said Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal College of GPs.

“The people who are most at threat in sizzling climate tend to be the elderly, specifically the quite elderly, folks who have tons of other wellness situations.

“Avoid circumstances the place you are going to get overheated. Don’t go for a jog if you are feeling scorching previously. Believe about it, strategy ahead.”

Ms Stokes-Lampard added that medical professionals knowledge a surge in get in touch with-outs for the duration of heatwaves, particularly from extremely elderly and frail.

“Hospitals then usually get the brunt of it since individuals are typically so dehydrated that the only way to aid them is a journey to hospital, which obviously no person would like,” she said.

Hospitals and care homes have been place on alert for an improve in admissions with well being and social services employees on standby to speak to the sick and vulnerable.

Public wellness officials mentioned they have been notably concerned about Muslims fasting for Ramadan.

Heatwave: Britons urged to get heed of United kingdom climate wellness warnings

Heatwave: Britons urged to consider heed of Uk weather wellness warnings

“This outstanding climate can genuinely take people by surprise,” mentioned Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal College of GPs.

“The people who are most at threat in sizzling weather tend to be the elderly, specifically the really elderly, people who have lots of other wellness circumstances.

“Avoid scenarios in which you are going to get overheated. Really do not go for a jog if you are feeling scorching currently. Feel about it, prepare ahead.”

Ms Stokes-Lampard extra that medical professionals knowledge a surge in phone-outs during heatwaves, notably from extremely elderly and frail.

“Hospitals then frequently get the brunt of it simply because people are frequently so dehydrated that the only way to aid them is a journey to hospital, which obviously no one needs,” she said.

Hospitals and care homes have been place on alert for an boost in admissions with well being and social services workers on standby to get in touch with the sick and vulnerable.

Public wellness officials mentioned they have been specifically concerned about Muslims fasting for Ramadan.

Heatwave: Britons urged to consider heed of Uk weather wellness warnings

Heatwave: Britons urged to take heed of United kingdom climate well being warnings

“This exceptional climate can really take folks by shock,” explained Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal School of GPs.

“The folks who are most at risk in scorching climate tend to be the elderly, particularly the very elderly, individuals who have tons of other overall health conditions.

“Avoid scenarios in which you are going to get overheated. Really do not go for a jog if you are feeling scorching already. Believe about it, plan ahead.”

Ms Stokes-Lampard added that medical doctors encounter a surge in contact-outs throughout heatwaves, notably from very elderly and frail.

“Hospitals then often get the brunt of it because individuals are frequently so dehydrated that the only way to support them is a trip to hospital, which naturally no person needs,” she stated.

Hospitals and care properties have been place on alert for an boost in admissions with well being and social services staff on standby to get in touch with the sick and vulnerable.

Public overall health officials said they were especially concerned about Muslims fasting for Ramadan.

Heatwave: Britons urged to take heed of United kingdom climate well being warnings

Heatwave: Britons urged to take heed of UK weather health warnings

“This exceptional weather can truly consider people by shock,” explained Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal University of GPs.

“The individuals who are most at risk in scorching climate have a tendency to be the elderly, especially the extremely elderly, people who have tons of other well being situations.

“Avoid circumstances the place you are going to get overheated. Really don’t go for a jog if you are feeling scorching presently. Think about it, strategy ahead.”

Ms Stokes-Lampard extra that medical doctors knowledge a surge in call-outs throughout heatwaves, notably from quite elderly and frail.

“Hospitals then typically get the brunt of it due to the fact men and women are usually so dehydrated that the only way to support them is a trip to hospital, which obviously no person desires,” she stated.

Hospitals and care houses have been put on alert for an enhance in admissions with overall health and social providers workers on standby to speak to the ill and vulnerable.

Public wellness officials explained they had been specifically concerned about Muslims fasting for Ramadan.

Heatwave: Britons urged to take heed of UK weather health warnings

Heatwave: Britons urged to consider heed of United kingdom weather health warnings

“This outstanding climate can really take people by shock,” mentioned Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal School of GPs.

“The folks who are most at danger in hot weather tend to be the elderly, especially the really elderly, individuals who have tons of other health conditions.

“Avoid situations in which you are going to get overheated. Don’t go for a jog if you are feeling sizzling presently. Feel about it, strategy ahead.”

Ms Stokes-Lampard extra that physicians experience a surge in get in touch with-outs in the course of heatwaves, particularly from quite elderly and frail.

“Hospitals then typically get the brunt of it since men and women are usually so dehydrated that the only way to support them is a journey to hospital, which certainly no one desires,” she said.

Hospitals and care residences have been put on alert for an increase in admissions with wellness and social solutions employees on standby to make contact with the sick and vulnerable.

Public wellness officials mentioned they were specifically concerned about Muslims fasting for Ramadan.

Heatwave: Britons urged to consider heed of United kingdom weather health warnings

Heatwave: Britons urged to consider heed of Uk weather overall health warnings

“This outstanding weather can truly get people by shock,” mentioned Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal College of GPs.

“The individuals who are most at risk in scorching weather have a tendency to be the elderly, notably the very elderly, men and women who have plenty of other health conditions.

“Avoid circumstances the place you are going to get overheated. Do not go for a jog if you are feeling sizzling currently. Feel about it, plan ahead.”

Ms Stokes-Lampard extra that physicians experience a surge in call-outs throughout heatwaves, specifically from extremely elderly and frail.

“Hospitals then usually get the brunt of it due to the fact men and women are often so dehydrated that the only way to support them is a trip to hospital, which naturally no person desires,” she stated.

Hospitals and care houses have been put on alert for an improve in admissions with wellness and social providers staff on standby to make contact with the unwell and vulnerable.

Public wellness officials mentioned they had been notably concerned about Muslims fasting for Ramadan.

Heatwave: Britons urged to consider heed of Uk weather overall health warnings

Heatwave: Britons urged to get heed of United kingdom weather health warnings

“This outstanding climate can actually consider folks by surprise,” said Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal University of GPs.

“The people who are most at danger in hot weather tend to be the elderly, particularly the extremely elderly, people who have tons of other wellness circumstances.

“Avoid scenarios the place you are going to get overheated. Really do not go for a jog if you are feeling sizzling presently. Consider about it, prepare ahead.”

Ms Stokes-Lampard added that medical doctors knowledge a surge in contact-outs in the course of heatwaves, notably from really elderly and frail.

“Hospitals then often get the brunt of it since individuals are often so dehydrated that the only way to assist them is a trip to hospital, which certainly nobody would like,” she explained.

Hospitals and care residences have been place on alert for an enhance in admissions with wellness and social companies personnel on standby to make contact with the sick and vulnerable.

Public wellness officials stated they had been specifically concerned about Muslims fasting for Ramadan.

Heatwave: Britons urged to get heed of United kingdom weather health warnings

Heatwave: Britons urged to take heed of United kingdom climate well being warnings

“This excellent climate can truly consider men and women by shock,” mentioned Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal University of GPs.

“The men and women who are most at danger in scorching weather tend to be the elderly, especially the extremely elderly, folks who have lots of other well being problems.

“Avoid circumstances the place you are going to get overheated. Really do not go for a jog if you are feeling scorching currently. Think about it, prepare ahead.”

Ms Stokes-Lampard extra that medical doctors encounter a surge in contact-outs in the course of heatwaves, particularly from quite elderly and frail.

“Hospitals then typically get the brunt of it simply because folks are frequently so dehydrated that the only way to help them is a trip to hospital, which clearly nobody desires,” she explained.

Hospitals and care houses have been put on alert for an increase in admissions with health and social providers employees on standby to get in touch with the ill and vulnerable.

Public wellness officials said they were especially concerned about Muslims fasting for Ramadan.

Heatwave: Britons urged to take heed of United kingdom climate well being warnings

Poll: NHS decisions must be left to medical professionals, say vast majority of Britons

The survery found that a third of individuals are in favour of parliament setting targets for the NHS, with 42% opposed. Photograph: Hugh Macknight/PA

The bulk of British men and women feel the NHS has turn out to be a political football utilised cynically to win votes and need to be trusted to pros who recognize how ideal to provide healthcare, in accordance to an view poll carried out for the British Health care Association.

The Ipsos Mori survey, launched on the very first day of the BMA’s annual representatives meeting, also identified that a third of individuals were in favour of parliament setting targets for the NHS, compared with 42% who were opposed. The union mentioned the findings supported its insistence that selections on patient care must be free of charge from political interference and left to medical professionals.

The chair of the BMA council, Dr Mark Porter, mentioned the NHS was “one of the most politicised public solutions in the Uk. Regardless of whether it is the targets forced on doctors, GP appointments that are far more about box-ticking than clinical care, or quick-term, headline-grabbing policy initiatives – all of these are getting carried out for political expediency and to win votes. As a end result, patient care is taking a back seat to scoring factors in excess of the dispatch box.”

The survey of nearly two,000 folks across Britain, weighted to be nationally representative, discovered that 73% believe that political events are creating health policy to win votes, not to do what is very best for the NHS, and that 65% feel the NHS ought to handle itself without the involvement of politicians as it understands how very best to give healthcare.

The public also showed a preference for doctors participating in selections about how the NHS is run, with fifty five% saying they need to have “high involvement”, over managers (34%).

Motions to be debated at the annual representative meeting accuse the coalition government of facilitating privatisation of the NHS and endangering public well being via austerity measures but the survey final results indicate unease at political interference from all sides.

Porter cited Labour’s pledge to promise a GP appointment within 48 hours as effectively as the government’s strategy for doctors’ surgeries to be open 7 days a week as adjustments becoming lined up just before the up coming election that “may possibly seem very good on a leaflet” but “will not tackle the problems that have left GPs struggling to supply the care, time and appointments their individuals require.

“Physicians want to see politics taken out of the NHS when and for all. It is clear that the public really feel the identical way. Yes, politicians should be accountable for the working of the NHS, but when it comes to choices on patient care it is time to permit physicians to do what they do ideal – lead the delivery of high-good quality patient care.”

A Labour spokesman defended the party’s pledge on GP waiting occasions. “Only Labour is severe about investing in GP surgeries,” he explained. “We have pledged £100m to help patients get appointments more rapidly – too many are waiting a week beneath this government.”

Of these polled, 57% mentioned they were content with the working of the NHS, even though 25% said they have been dissatisfied.

Poll: NHS decisions must be left to medical professionals, say vast majority of Britons

Too a lot sugar, salt and body fat: wholesome consuming even now eluding several Britons

UK guidance is to limit sugar consumption to 11% of energy intake, but 11- to 18-year-olds manage 15.6%. Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian

The UK population is still eating far too much sugar, fat and salt, with people falling short of the five-a-day fruit and vegetable portions that have been recommended by health experts.

Public Health England, releasing data for all of the UK, said it was clear that a lot more needed to be done to improve the British diet.

“The data released today provides compelling evidence that we all need to make changes to our diet to improve our health, especially for teenagers,” said Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at PHE.

The sugar load of children and young people was particularly high, she said.

The UK guidance is that sugar should not exceed 11% of our total energy intake, but for children aged four to 10, it is 14.7%, rising to 15.6% for 11- to 18-year-olds. A third of that comes from sugary soft drinks and fruit juice.

The high sugar levels will concern those who believe sugar is the biggest contributor to the obesity problem. The World Health Organisation has recently urged countries to reduce sugar consumption to 10% of total energy, with an ambition to bring it down to 5%. The UK’s recommended limit is 11%, a figure that does not include sugars from milk products.

The data comes from the latest edition of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Every year a 1,000-strong sample representative of the population of the entire UK is surveyed. The latest publication incorporates findings from 2008/9 to 2011/12.

The problem with diet surveys is that many people either forget what they have eaten or tailor their answers. The average calorie intake recorded by men in the survey was 2,111 calories, while women said they ate an average of 1,613 calories a day. That would suggest they were eating less than they needed.

But, notes the report, tests have shown evidence of under-reporting; people do not reveal everything they have eaten.

Cereals and cereal products contributed more calories to the daily diet than anything else, followed by meat, then dairy products.

The UK recommends a saturated fat limit of 11% of all food energy, but every age group eats more than that. Mean saturated fat consumption in men aged 19 to 64 was 12.6%. The saturated fat tends to come mostly from dairy, cereal and meat products, although in younger children it is mostly from dairy items.

Trans-fat levels are now low, following campaigns to expose the food products that contain them and put pressure on the industry to get rid of them. They amount to 0.6-0.7% of energy intake, well below the recommended 2% maximum. Salt intakes were above the guidance of 6g a day, at 7.2g for adults.

Everybody was judged to be failing to get the recommended fruit and vegetable portions, the survey showed. Adults up to the age of 65 were found to be eating just over four portions a day, and older adults 4.6 portions.

Teenage girls did worst, eating an average of 2.7 portions a day, while boys ate three. In the 11-18 age group, 10% of boys and 7% of girls managed five-a day, while 30% of adults and 41% of older adults achieved that level.

“Eating a healthy, balanced, diet that is high in fruit, vegetables and fibre and low in saturated fat, sugar and salt, alongside being more active, will help you to maintain a healthy weight and lower your risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers,” said Tedstone. “The findings, from the four years covered by the survey, confirm that eating habits do not change quickly. It is clear that we all need to work together to help people improve their diets. This data will help PHE to target its work in the most effective way.”

Too a lot sugar, salt and body fat: wholesome consuming even now eluding several Britons