NHS Confederation responds to NHS England obesity clinic announcement

Commenting on the announcement that 10 new specialist children and young people’s obesity clinics will open across England this year to add to the 30 sites already treating patients, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation said: 
 
“Obesity is fast over taking smoking as the number one cause of preventable death in England. While NHS leaders are already seeing and treating as many patients who are obese as possible, including children and young people, much more needs to be done at a societal level to address the underlying causes of people who are severely overweight.
 
“The government must now go further and faster including implementing the key recommendations contained within its own national food strategy, published last year, to help improve the nation’s diet and address the lasting and detrimental impact of food poverty.
 
“We need new bold and brave ideas in health promotion and ill-health prevention especially when it comes to improving the nation’s diet, now is the time to do all we can to help the next and future generations live in good health for as long as possible.”