Cop2 essay

Page 1

What methods of communication and what further measures can we implicate as a nation to efficiently utilise the NHS’ resources and ensure its future is secure? Providing free health care at the point of delivery has granted the United Kingdom triumph and pride since 1948, promoting a manifesto aiming to to “create comprehensive health and rehabilitation services for prevention and cure of disease" (Beveridge 1942). Yet, today the National Health Service is being stretched to spending an extortionate £2 billion per week, which simply cannot continue to deliver in the future if changes are not implemented urgently. A large percentage of the NHS budget is being absorbed by conditions that arise from undertaking poor lifestyle choices, for example addiction and withdrawal from substance use, heart, lung conditions and cancers as a result of smoking, and the most alarming, obesity due to lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet. This is a problem that is spiralling out of control, as Meike (2015), states that ‘advances in medical treatments and less people smoking are being undermined by lifestyles, fuelling big increases in the number of overweight or obese people and those with type 2 diabetes’, in response to the ONS survey that found that 23% of deaths in England and Wales were potentially avoidable. Reflecting on the growing volume of treatment that is required as a result of these lifestyle-related conditions, naturally a large percentage of UK citizens as well as health care professionals and members of Parliament are aware that the money could be utilised in more significant, and genuine areas of health care, which would ultimately relieve both laborious and financial pressure from the NHS. In order to amend this growing crisis, we must identify exactly why the NHS needs to retain such an extortionate budget in order to continue running as a service. Why are people becoming addicted to substances such as drugs and alcohol? Why are more people being diagnosed with mental illnesses? Why is the level of obesity spiralling out of control? The most vague and most obvious answers would be those that come under the umbrella of corruptions in our society. Two writers in particular have commented on how a pressure-surrounded environment can affect our mental health; writing for the Social Forces journal, Schnittiker, Freese and Powell (2000) state that ‘Some see mental illness as routed primarily in environmental factors such as family upbringing and social stressors’. Demond (1968) enlarges on this point by stressing that ‘Mental illness has the dubious distinction of serving as a mirror for the complexities and demands of the surrounding society’, all writers commenting on how vulnerable we can become when the environment that we are accustomed to can change and develop so rapidly. Some of these external pressures include an ageing population, growing air pollution, increased competition for jobs, negative implements resulting from the Government Defecit and so on. Writing for the Left Foot Forward political blog, Bennett (2015) summarises the current Government as, ‘A society in short that’s failing its people’. Does this mean that we should blame the state of our surrounding environment for the reasons that people engage in activities that are harmful to their health? Not entirely, although stress related illnesses are often triggered by external pressures. When under stress, the body’s natural response is to find a source of ‘comfort’ as a relief or method of coping. This often involves engaging in habits that are harmful to our health, such as drinking, smoking and over/under eating. Stress of this kind can also lead to feeling insecure, lacking self esteem and becoming desperate to feel accepted and valued in society, which could eventually lead to the neglect of self-care and wellbeing. Whilst the Government is frantically trying to prevent these negative conditions from developing, the food industry seems to be encouraging them. The most obvious offenders that come to mind are global fast food chains and soft drinks companies such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi and McDonalds, the latter being symbolised as ‘the worst of today’s world: trampled rainforests, genetically modified foods and cultural homogenisation’(Greenberg,J & Naím,M, 2001), which reflects the unethical, unhealthy and un-environmentally friendly nature of these corporations, and that is only one part of the problem. Companies like McDonalds and Coca-Cola have a reputation of producing products that are highly unhealthy, and simultaneously having a budget large enough to mask this with various methods of advertising. Due to their global success, these companies are able to sell their


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.