Council ‘must tackle roots of sickness’
Health bosses will urge Lewisham Council to tackle poor nutrition, overcrowding, cancer screening and exercise levels as the recession hits NHS budgets, they said this week.
The vow was made at a board meeting of NHS Lewisham, after Green Party Cllr Romayne Phoenix presented the findings of a cross-party report on women's health inequalities in the borough.
The investigation by the Women's Health Inequalities Review found high levels of cardiovascular disease and obesity in Lewisham, treatment of which is an expensive call on health budgets.
The Green councillor, who chaired the investigation, told the meeting recessionary pressure on NHS budgets meant the council had a duty to move preventative work up a gear to tackle the root causes of ill-health.
Board members said they would take up the issues of housing problems, nutrition and cancer screening in their meetings with the council.
Cllr Romayne Phoenix said:
"Overcrowding, poor nutrition and low exercise levels are all council responsibilities, but it is the NHS that is landed with huge treatment costs for the health problems they cause - and those costs are set to soar.
"Government figures predict the health bill for overweight people in Lewisham will rise from £76.2m last year to £84.5m by 2015.
"Recessions make all these problems more acute, so the council must invest in health promotion as the economic crisis bites. That means tackling our overcrowding crisis and going hammer and tongs to improve nutrition and exercise in schools.
"The council can also do more to promote local cancer screening services through its networks and publications, reaching audiences the NHS may not and thereby saving lives."
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