NHS

Argh - your not you're! Predictive text problem.

The JR is a brilliant hospital. DD had her first baby there, DH had a hernia operation there, and my mother had excellent treatment admittedly years ago for heart and other related problems. However, we are also getting equally good treatment at the hospital DH attends for prostate cancer treatment, so for us the NHS has a big gold star all round.

GPs are selling their practice buildings to companies, then leasing them back, because GPs no longer want to have to take out mortgages to own the buildings.

www.pulsetoday.co.uk/your-practice/practice-topics/premises/gp-partners-offload-premises-as-property-firm-expands-practice-portfolio-by-20/20032008.article

Assura is the company owned by Virgin,, which directs its profits offshore to the Virgin Islands. NHS money not paid tax on.

I haven't managed to read this thread for some time but have read all the posts to catch up. I agree with bags about food we are eating etc and looking at packets to see the composition of the food but I rarely buy any of that sort of food. I don't buy all healthy stuff as I admit to a bag of crisps from time to time and the odd bar of chocolate but I do cook from basic ingredients almost all the time - basically simple meals but I confess to making sauces so I have lately being trying very hard to address portion sizes - just a slow process when it comes down to actually losing the weight!
I wonder if the lack of what was termed Domestic Science lessons in school has anything to do with it. In the early fifties we were taught the real basics of cooking and this has stood me in good stead. My mother cooked everything and of course in the forties and fifties you could not get much pre prepared stuff. We don't need to teach youngsters to be cordon bleu cooks but just have an idea of the basics and how to interpret a recipe book.
Am I just being simplistic in thinking this might just help to turn the tide?

I'm afraid I do think you're being simplistic. I confess this is from a personal perspective. I never did Domestic Science in school (girls' grammar school) and my mother was an appalling cook, but somehow I learnt to cook reasonably well, healthily and cheaply. I did learn about basic nutrition in biology. There are three macro-nutrients: protein, fat and carbohydrates. Anybody eating food from a variety of sources will not be short of micro-nutrients. We don't actually need to eat carbohydrates (especially sugar), because the body will convert fat and protein to glucose as necessary, but carbohydrates are cheap and (let's face it) taste good.

There is so much information available now for free on the internet for people who really want to know about nutrition and have accepted that they are responsible for what goes in their mouths. Unfortunately, there's TOO MUCH information and thousands of snake oil nutrition salespeople promise magic wands. The basics of good nutrition isn't really that hard to grasp, but that doesn't take into account the psychology of eating, which I think is much of the problem.

If you're not overweight, you've probably got your food balance right. If you're overweight, you need to cut down your calorie intake. You need to be honest with yourself about what you're actually eating (especially portion sizes) and cut down. It makes sense to cut down on empty calories - the ones which are only providing energy (calories) without additional nutrition, so read food labels. Simple!

Obesity is a national issue and concern. Having said that, I get a bit fed up with being 'blamed' for an illness labelled as preventable. I was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic in my mid thirties without ever having been anything more than slightly overweight and having been reasonably active. There's something going on in my metabolism which isn't accounted for in the usual explanations of diabetes.

Lifestyle factors are costing the NHS, but they're not the major reason for queues in A & E, etc. I don't think health education should be the responsibility of the NHS.

www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jun/15/mps-round-on-jeremy-hunt-over-situation-at-north-middlesex-hospital

Yes I read that. And so on and in it goes.

What was it, they are going to cut down the number of A&Es to 40+. But obviously MPs in Middlesex do not want it to be their hospitals. Apparently there's also only one area in England where GPs are not over stressed. That's Beverley and Haltemprice, for anyone who wants to move there.

www.pulsetoday.co.uk/political/political-news/nhs-confederation-health-service-cant-afford-brexit-vote/20032081.article

NHS Confederation spokesperson is Stephen Dorrell.