- The Department of Health’s purpose is to help people live better for longer. We lead, shape and fund health and care in England, making sure people have the support, care and treatment they need, with the compassion, respect and dignity they deserve. The new and changing health and care organisations work together with the Department to achieve this common purpose.
- We enable health and social care bodies to deliver services according to national priorities and work with other parts of government to achieve this. We set objectives and budgets and hold the system to account on behalf of the Secretary of State.
- The Secretary of State for Health has ultimate responsibility for ensuring the whole system works together to meet the needs of patients and the public and reflect their experiences.
Background: Reducing obesity and improving diet
In 2007, the Foresight report ‘Tackling Obesities: Future Choices’ revealed worrying levels of obesity in the UK. Its findings informed the government’s ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A call to action on obesity in England’, which was published in 2011.
The call to action:
- sets out plans for involving the whole of society in reducing obesity
- states that obesity is everybody’s business and that it is the responsibility of individuals to change their behaviour to lose weight
- says that a range of partners, including government and business, have a responsibility to help people lose weight
- says that dealing with obesity in children and adults is important
- has a goal to reduce the number of calories the nation eats every day by 5 billion – and says that business has a big part to play in achieving this.
In England, most people are overweight or obese. This includes 61.9% of adults and 28% of children aged between 2 and 15. People who are overweight have a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. Excess weight can also make it more difficult for people to find and keep work, and it can affect self-esteem and mental health.
Health problems associated with being overweight or obese cost the NHS more than £5 billion every year.
By 2020, we want to see:
- a downward trend in the level of excess weight in adults
- a sustained downward trend in the level of excess weight in children
Actions
It is important that we encourage and help people to:
- eat and drink more healthily
- be more active
We are:
- encouraging businesses on the high street to include calorie information on their menus so that people can make healthy choices
Encouraging responsible business
Through our Public Health Responsibility Deal, businesses and organisations can make it easier for everyone - from staff to customers - to make healthier choices.
The Responsibility Deal has 4 networks (alcohol, food, health at work and physical activity) which all have collective pledges that businesses are encouraged to sign up to. Our actions to help people eat more healthily include:
- reducing ingredients (for example salt and fat) that can be harmful if people eat too much of them
- encouraging people to eat more fruit and vegetable to help reach their 5 A DAY
- putting calorie information on menus
- helping people to eat fewer calories (for example by changing the portion size or the recipe of a product)
Meeting local needs
Local councils are responsible for working with other organisations to improve the health of people living in their area. This includes making sure that the right services are in place.
We will be giving local councils a budget specifically for public health, which will allow them to provide services that meet the health needs of their local community. This could include making their own plans for helping local people who are overweight or obese, for example by providing weight loss services.
Local councils will also have health and wellbeing boards that bring together local organisations to create an environment in which people can make healthier choices.