New proposals for health and wellness services in the UK

The Daily Telegraph reports, in "Hewitt's new cure: a health MoT plus trainer," that the UK's National Health Service plans to shift more of its resources towards developing wellness programs, and will work to make health care services available outside of standard business hours. This kind of innovative thinking isn't happening in DC right now, in the context of planning for a new hospital in a joint venture of the DC Government and Howard University.

From the article:

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the Health Secretary says that patients will be told in percentage terms the likelihood of their developing cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses. Those most at risk will be allocated a personal health trainer who will set goals for improving their diet and increasing the exercise they take. They will also be helped to give up smoking and reduce drinking and stress.

"People don't want nannying or to be told what they must do but they do want more information, advice and support," Miss Hewitt says. The NHS life check is one of the main proposals in a White Paper to be published next week.

The proposal will lead to accusations that the Government is extending the "nanny state". But Miss Hewitt says that research by her department has found that most people think the NHS should be as much about preventing illness as curing it. More than three quarters of 1,000 people who took part in a "citizens' summit" in Birmingham last year said they would like a regular health check. "People were saying we want to stay healthy and independent as long as possible but we need the NHS to show us how," Miss Hewitt says. ...

Health trainers are already being recruited by primary care trusts in some areas and the Government hopes to see 1,200 working around the country by the end of the year. Community groups will also be set up so that patients can encourage each other to stick to their new diet and exercise regimes.

The plan represents a dramatic shift in the focus of the health service away from emergency hospital treatment and towards prevention. At present, the only national health screening programme takes place at birth. The White Paper will also propose reforms to the way in which family doctors operate. The Government wants to encourage GPs' surgeries to open in the evenings and at weekends to cater for working patients. Miss Hewitt says there will also be an expansion of walk-in centres, offering health care in public places such as stations.
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Now if I could just find a definition for "MoT."

Index Keywords: health-care-planning