Association support of preventative healthcare
The Association is pleased that the Government has announced plans to create a ‘smoke-free generation’ by introducing legislation raising the age of sale for tobacco products by one year every year from 2027. Smoking causes around 1 in 4 deaths from cancer, is a major cause of many other conditions such as heart disease and is known to increase the risk of complications from anaesthesia. We will be responding to the Government consultation on this issue shortly. We have also applied to join the Smokefree Action Coalition – a group of over 300 organisations across the UK committed to ending smoking.
While the announcements on smoking are welcomed, we call on the Government do to more to tackle other causes of air pollution that are also harmful to human health. As a member of the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, we support measures to reduce air pollution caused by vehicles in and around our towns and cities.
As part of our work on the preventative health agenda, the Association is also a member of the Alcohol Health Alliance and is in the process of joining the Obesity Health Alliance. We look forward to working with colleagues from both of these groups to help address the issues caused to health by both alcohol and unhealthy food.