MPs back new report promoting 'Healthy Hearts' across the nation

A collection of articles from University of Manchester experts which provides a roadmap to tackle the national cardiovascular health crisis has been warmly received in Westminster.

'Healthy Hearts' incorporates academic research on cardiovascular disease (CVD) which now results in someone's death in the UK every 3 minutes.

In her foreword for the report published by Policy@Manchester, the Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, warns that CVD is now 1 of the country's biggest killers, "tearing families apart and causing untold heartbreak to far too many. In the last half a century, huge strides have been made to halve the number of people dying from heart and circulatory diseases in the UK each year. But worryingly, this progress is now at risk."

'Healthy Hearts' covers a plethora of issues pertinent to cardiovascular health, from heart disease in cancer survivors, to the effects of air pollution on heart health. It also includes:- an international perspective on the impact of cardiovascular deaths in developing countries around the world.

After reading the document, Labour MP Dr Simon Opher, a former GP and now Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Health Group, believes that 'Healthy Hearts' should prompt policymakers to address the threat of CVD.

"Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, has said we need to switch our medical care from cure to prevention," he observes. "The 'Healthy Hearts' report shows exactly why. Making better use of digital technologies and predictive tools could prevent many deaths from cardiovascular disease. The science is well known and yet currently in our NHS this isn't being done."

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, Chair of the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee, notes the recommendations in:- 'Health Hearts' on the use of NHS health checks.

"As this report states, health checks often fail to reach the people who might benefit most," she comments. "This chimes with evidence we heard in our session on progress in preventing CVD. We were concerned to hear that rates of uptake of health checks vary widely and we have called on the Government to improve monitoring to track the uptake of checks. We want to see concrete action to drive improved uptake amongst people at high risk."

Her party colleague Helen Morgan, the MP for North Shropshire and Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and Care, also welcomes the University of Manchester report, seeing it as a valuable guide that the Government should not ignore.

"Focusing on prevention will boost health and boost the economy," she says. "Tackling pollution and reducing the burden of expensive treatment should be an important priority for any country and I hope the Government will carefully consider the 'Healthy Hearts' proposals."

This is an approach endorsed by Dr Opher MP; a view sure to be taken seriously by Ministers, given his almost 3 decades of first-hand experience in general practice.

"I believe it is time to target our strategy on prevention, as well as modifying our environment to improve health," he argues. "We need clean air, we need a healthy diet to lower obesity, and we need to test the people who are most at risk. This will prevent more death and disability from CVD."

'Healthy Hearts' is available to read free of charge on the Policy@Manchester website.

Environmentalists and farmers unite to urge Government to avoid hammer blow to nature and food security

OVER 50 environment and farming groups are urging the Government not to cut the already inadequate nature-friendly farming budget for the Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) any further. In fact, they say, it should be increased to meet nature and climate targets and ensure sustainable, wildlife-friendly food production.

Defra's budget has been rumoured to be on the chopping block in the Comprehensive Spending Review. Multiple environmental regulators were called into Downing Street by the Chancellor just last week, with Natural England, who have a major role in agri-environment schemes, expected to lose 200 jobs. Nature groups and farmers are concerned that cuts to the nature-friendly farming budget; which makes up the lion's share of Defra's spending; will potentially be trailed in the Spring Statement this week.

Not only would environmentalists and farmers object to such cuts due to the damage they would cause, they would also be likely to be unpopular with the public too. ​​New YouGov polling for Wildlife and Countryside Link has shown that only 13% of the public think the Government made the right decision in suspending the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) recently. [2]

The new YouGov polling, commissioned by Wildlife and Countryside Link, has also revealed that a significant majority of Brits feel that increased nature-friendly farming grants would have a positive impact. With 51% saying food security would be positively impacted by increased grants, and a further 73% saying wildlife, and 57% saying rural communities, would benefit. 69%, 70% and 56% said respectively that river, soil and air pollution would be positively affected.

Environmentalists and farmers are united in their belief that any cuts to the farming budget would massively hamper the Government's ability to meet its legally binding nature and climate targets, and the ability to transition to a sustainable, globally competitive food and farming sector. In fact, all the research points to the need to significantly increase food, farming and nature funding to meet Government targets.

Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said:- "Defra is among the smallest, poorest Departments in Government, but it faces the biggest challenges—restoring our natural world, and supporting a rapid shift to wildlife friendly food production. If the Chancellor cuts the wildlife friendly farming budget it would make a complete fantasy of plans to both restore nature by 2030 and create a competitive, sustainable farming sector. The Sustainable Farming Incentive recently closed because demand massively outstripped the budget. The number of contracts for nature-friendly farming schemes has fallen. Budget cuts would hurt struggling farming families, scupper climate action and cause further damage to polluted rivers, damaged hedgerows, farmland birds, and pollinators."

NFU President Tom Bradshaw said:- "Thousands of farmers across the country have signed up to Government schemes; which were designed to replace the old EU agricultural support mechanisms and to provide environmental services for society; and thousands more were planning to, only to discover that applications closed suddenly overnight. This puts the vital work being done by farmers and growers as stewards of the countryside at risk, from delivering healthier soils to new habitat for wildlife, all while producing the nation's food. If Government really seeks to end short term economic policy making, then it must confirm a multi year future farming budget which is adequate to deliver Government goals. Any cuts to the agriculture budget will make it impossible for Government to deliver its commitments to support a sustainable, productive farming sector."

Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive, said:- "Any short sighted cuts to the farming budget today undoubtedly means more pain tomorrow. To have sustainable farm businesses that not only provide our food but also help the UK meet its legally binding climate and nature targets we must protect, and ideally increase, investment in nature-friendly farming. Farmers need to be at the heart of this complex and vital challenge but that won't happen without long term commitments and sufficient financial support. The UK Government says it won't play fast and loose with public finances, yet it is doing exactly that with our environment, health, food security and wildlife."

Hilary McGrady, Director-General at the National Trust said:- "Investing in nature-friendly farming is not a nice to do; it's essential to underpin food security and economic growth. And doing too little to address an already degraded environment could lead to GDP dropping 12 per cent in the coming years. While a short-term cut may seem to help the country's finances it will only deepen the spending blackhole in future and lead to crucial nature and climate targets being missed along the way. The impact we have seen from funding that supports nature-friendly farming across our estate has already been transformational. It's enabled many farmers to finally farm the way they want to and reshape the local environment to the benefit of the rural community and wildlife. Better farm funding means a brighter rural future and stability for farmers, cleaner rivers, more birds in the sky and more woodlands to walk through. The alternative is bleak."

Martin Lines, CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, said:- "Farmers are facing growing uncertainty and a sense of being continually undermined, especially following the sudden closure of the SFI. Many have been left without support or a clear route forward, just as they need to be planning ahead. People across the country can see the pressure farmers and wildlife are under, and recognise that both need support. The Chancellor must now do the same. Farmers are stewards of the land. Alongside producing food, they're restoring nature, supporting climate solutions and sustaining rural communities. Any further cuts to the nature-friendly farming budget would be a hammer-blow; not just to farming, but to the Government's own environmental ambitions."