Budget: More must be done to protect heart health – British Heart Foundation

11 March 2020 Imogen Blake

Category: BHF Comment

The Budgets boost for the NHS to help limit the impact of coronavirus was vital, but much more must be done to protect the nations heart health, the BHF says today. Heart and circulatory conditions cost the NHS in England at least 7.4billion a year. Together, they form the single biggest area where the NHS can save lives over the next 10 years.

The Governments first Budget, delivered by new Chancellor Rishi Sunak, rightly made Covid-19 the focus, with a welcome 30bn boost for the NHS. Meanwhile, a spending announcement to boost research and innovation is a step in the right direction and could help accelerate heart and circulatory disease advances. However, we believe the Government must go further and fasterto create healthier environments for everyone in the UK, including taking more robust measures to tackle air pollution and childhood obesity. Dr Charmaine Griffiths, our Chief Executive, said: Coronavirus was rightly the focus of this Governments first Budget today. With information to date suggesting that people with heart and circulatory diseases appear to be at higher risk of complications caused by this virus, the 30bn boost for the NHS was vital.

We were also pleased to see extra spending announced for research and innovation, and we look forward to seeing a more detailed roadmap for how investment levels will reach 2.4% of GDP by 2027. This would be critical for accelerating advances across the spectrum of heart and circulatory conditions.

However, the Government must go further and faster to make the UK healthier environment to live in, including tougher action on air pollution. Incentivising cleaner vehicles and pledging money to help tackle harmful NOx emissions from diesel vehicles are promising first steps, but these are potentially offset by announcements to freeze fuel duty and invest significantly in road building.

It is time to take bolder action to tackle air pollution, including investments to increase cycling and walking and providing public health messaging around its impact. We must not delay further when the health of the nation is at stake.

DEMAND CHANGE ON AIR POLLUTION

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Budget: More must be done to protect heart health - British Heart Foundation