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Burstow Tackling Local Health Issues Morning, Noon and Night
June 21, 2004 3:28 PM
Sutton and Cheam MP, Paul Burstow, demonstrated his interest in local health issues on Friday (18th June) by opening a conference on chronic kidney disease in the morning, speaking in a Commons debate on the future of St Helier in the afternoon and by closing a conference on pain management in the early evening.
Both conferences had been organised by the Epsom and St Helier University NHS Trust and Mr Burstow had been invited to give the perspective of a local Member of Parliament.
Opening the national conference on Chronic Kidney Disease Mr Burstow highlighted the need to develop services to prevent and postpone the onset of kidney disease. He said:
"There are many causes of renal failure that cannot be prevented or arrested yet. But given the damage that can be done to kidneys by poorly controlled diabetes and high blood pressure it is vital that more is done to detect these conditions at an early stage.
"When we talk about diabetes and high blood pressure we need to look at issues like salt consumption, cholesterol, obesity and smoking. Rates of type 2 diabetes are rising fast, the numbers of undiagnosed diabetics and the cost of their delayed treatment is a major concern.
"Obesity is a key risk factor for diabetes, indeed obesity is fast challenging smoking as the number one preventable cause of death in this country. Lifestyle changes, through diet and exercise can make a significant difference as can regulatory changes like front of packet labelling.
"I firmly believe that more needs to be done to develop screening programmes. Whole population screening is costly and not effective. But already we are seeing community pharmacies like Lloydpharmacy and Boots offering screening tests for diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure. This type of opportunistic screening should be encouraged."
Later in the day Mr Burstow took part in a Commons debate on the plans for Epsom and St Helier. During the debate Mr Burstow argued that St Helier was the right location for the new critical care hospital. He also pressed Minister, Stephen Ladyman, to make sure that the plans for three local care hospitals in the borough of Sutton were spelt out.
Finally, Mr Burstow closed study day for local NHS staff involved in acute and chronic pain services. He said:
"Pain is deeply personal. It can be corrosive of relationships. It can make you feel older than your years. It can trigger depression and other mental health problems - it can even drive people to suicide.
"There are large numbers of people in my constituency and up and down the country whose lives are blighted by pain. Musculo-skeletal pain alone accounts for 7 to 16 million people. The personal costs are huge, the cost to the economy is put at £18 billion a year - that's £34,246 and 57 pence every minute of every hour of every day. The cost to the NHS is put at £408 million. I suspect that is an underestimate."
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