Bring in more ‘nanny state’ measures, NHS chairman urges Labour

Sir Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting
Sir Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting have launched a ‘national conversation’ on NHS reform - Stefan Rousseau/PA

The outgoing chairman of NHS England has urged ministers to introduce “nanny state” measures.

Richard Meddings called for laws to cut sugar and fat in food, put up the cost of alcohol and restrict use of social media.

Without such moves, it would become harder and harder for the NHS to cope with the “exponential” rise in demand from a “more demanding, sicker society”, said Mr Meddings, who will stand down in March.

He was appointed NHS England chairman by the Tories on a four-year contract in 2022, but will step down a year earlier than planned, to be replaced as Labour tightens its grip on the operation of the health service.

Richard Meddings, the outgoing NHS England chairman
Richard Meddings describes obesity as a ‘scourge on the health of the nation’ - Bloomberg via Getty Images/Chris Ratcliffe

In a rare interview, Mr Meddings urged ministers to “legislate more against factors that we know are harmful to health”.

Last month, Wes Streeting launched a “national conversation” on the future of the NHS ahead of a public consultation asking for views about how to improve the nation’s health.

The Health Secretary has said he is reluctant to use the “heavy hand of state regulation” to force companies to produce healthier food – but has not ruled it out.

Mr Meddings called for radical action, saying: “Society is becoming sicker and more demanding.

“And so I may be in a minority on this but I would welcome – in a number of areas – the nanny state. I would want to see better challenges to sugars and to fats; I’d like to see challenges to social media,” the former banker said.

Describing obesity as “a real scourge on the health of the nation”, he said: “Can we imagine our country among the fittest or healthiest in Europe, which is where we want to pitch it?

“To do that it is important that we try and legislate against some of those contributors to ill health.

“I would legislate more against factors that we know are harmful to health. And practically I would do it because if we don’t, the ability of the health service’s capacity to meet that exponential growth in demand just becomes more challenging.

“We know that obesity triggers at least 13 cancers, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, diabetes, and obesity is a real scourge on the health of the nation. Society is becoming sicker and there is more demand on the NHS,” he said.

Interviewed on the podcast Voices of Care, from healthcare staffing agency Newcross Healthcare, the NHS England chairman pointed to Australia, which is discussing regulations to restrict use of social media for those below the age of 14 or 16.

“I would believe it plausible that social media is definitely contributing to some of the mental health issues that we’re seeing surging in our young people,” he said.

He also praised measures introduced in Scotland to increase alcohol prices, saying: “In Scotland, I think the evidence is that minimum alcohol pricing has been beneficial, essentially to public health.”

In September, an independent investigation into the NHS concluded that it was in “a critical condition”.

Mr Meddings highlighted a “dramatic” fall in bed numbers in recent decades, down from 142,000 in the year 2000, to 122,000 in 2010 and about 97,000 now.

“You’ve seen a significant fall in that secondary bed capacity and it’s been much managed by reducing length of stay and improving efficiencies. But at heart when the population is 15 per cent larger and older and therefore more comorbidities, there’s a real physical capacity problem,” he said.

The NHS England chairman also highlighted the lack of diagnostic capacity in the NHS, with less than half the average capacity of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Smoking and obesity claim tens of thousands of lives every year, put huge pressure on the NHS and cost taxpayers billions of pounds.

“That is why this government is committed to shifting our focus from treatment to prevention as part of our ten-year plan.

“We are also restricting junk food advertising, limiting schoolchildren’s access to fast food, and banning the sale of energy drinks to under 16s while working with industry leaders to accelerate the availability of obesity medicines.”