Community organisations across the UK will receive more than £5.3 million for projects countering extremist views and to build resilience within communities, it has been announced.

Minister for Countering-Extremism Baroness Williams awarded the funds as part of the Building a Stronger Britain Together programme, which aims to protect communities and empower them to challenge extremism. It funds more than 100 groups with grants of up to £200,000 and is estimated to reach around 175,000 people across the UK.

The organisations, including groups such as Khulisa, the Anne Frank Trust, Core Education and The Prince’s Trust will run year-long schemes that challenge extremist narratives and support people who may be vulnerable to them.
The projects being supported are wide-ranging and spread across the country: from Khulisa’s work in prisons to reduce re-offending and transform young people’s lives, to Core Education’s ‘Echo Eternal’ project that will use video testimony by Holocaust survivors to educate people on genocides across the world.

The funding comes as 300 representatives from the Building a Stronger Britain Together network met in London yesterday (Wednesday 17 October) for an annual conference.

Speaking at the event, Baroness Williams, Minister for Countering Extremism, said:

Building a Stronger Britain Together is powerful coalition of positive voices in society who are standing up to the hatred and extremism which, sadly, is present in Britain.

We are increasingly confronted with statements designed to justify support for twisted ideologies – these must be challenged in all their forms.

I am proud of the support we are giving groups and local communities, who recognise that this country is stronger together.

The new funding will expand the Building a Stronger Britain Together network to more than 220 groups, as the government steps up its fight against extremism.

During its annual conference, keynote speakers including academics and reformed extremists addressed delegates and advised on the latest thinking around countering extremism. It was chaired by Professor Matthew Feldman, Director of the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right and one of the UK’s foremost experts on extremism.

Nick Stace, UK Chief Executive of The Prince’s Trust, said:

Every day The Prince’s Trust supports young people from a range of backgrounds and communities to work together to develop the confidence and skills they need to succeed.

We help young people to gain a better understanding of people who are different to themselves, building mutual respect and tolerance and diverting them from activities that could lead to extremist views becoming engrained.

Many of our interventions also lead to employment opportunities, giving young people a greater stake in our economy and society.

This funding will help us to engage with more young people at an early stage to break down stereotypes, build tolerance amongst their communities and give young people the opportunities they need to thrive.

Adrian Packer, Founder and CEO of Core Education, said:

Echo Eternal will help to honour the commitment of every generation to never forget the Holocaust and genocides around the world. By working with young people, initially in Birmingham and then across the UK, we will tackle the extremism of those who wish to demean and degrade these memories.

We are delighted to be supported by Building a Stronger Britain Together for this crucial project. It’s important that government continues to support organisations like ours who are taking on extremism in all its forms.

Dominique Airey, Chief Executive Officer of Khulisa, said:

The funding announced by the government will help organisations like ours tackle social exclusion and crime in the heart of our communities. As part of the counter-extremism strategy, this will help us work with some of those who may be at risk or hard to reach.

Khulisa powerfully believe in the potential of every young person to live a healthy, crime-free life if given the right support. We provide a safe space for young people to explore their identity, experiences and to build healthy relationships with themselves and others. Our programmes are delivered in schools, prisons and a range of other community settings across the UK and are proven to increase well-being, empathy and reduce violence and offending.

We also support professionals such as social workers, police officers and prison staff to work more effectively with young people in a way that promotes inclusion and tolerance for all.

Since 2015, the Building a Stronger Britain Together programme has supported organisations, including the English Football League Trust and Show Racism the Red Card, for innovative projects to stand up against extremism. It was set up as part of the government’s counter-extremism strategy.

The Building a Stronger Britain Together network includes grassroots campaigns across England and Wales that bring together young people from segregated communities, build resilience to extremism and challenge extremist narratives.

Speaking at the 13th Annual Lecture organised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in London tonight, Sir Harpal Kumar, the former CEO of Cancer Research UK outlined his vision for cancer care in the future.

He said earlier diagnosis would enable the UK to catch-up with its international counterparts in terms of survival rates and would also make the NHS more efficient.

Sir Harpal said he would like to see an end to the unacceptable variation in cancer treatment that exists in the UK, whereby some patients have long waits for appointments or tests, depending on where they live.

He also wants to see an improvement in the relationship between research and the NHS so patients receive new treatments much quicker.

Citing recent Cancer Research UK research, Sir Harpal said the evidence showed around 60% of doctors felt they’d experienced a barrier to adopting a new treatment, rising to 83% amongst oncologists, with money being the most frequent barrier.

In his speech to an audience of clinicians and healthcare leaders, he made reference to the ageing population meaning in the next decade, there is likely to be an increase in the total number of deaths from cancer in the UK. Last year, more than 162,000 deaths were cancer-related, representing 28% of all deaths in the UK.

Sir Harpal Kumar said:

We have the potential to transform outcomes for many thousands of cancer patients, based on what we know now, even if there were no more research.

We have to think and act differently. If we cracked earlier diagnosis, it wouldn’t just enable us to catch up with our international counterparts, through the thousands of lives saved. It would also mean a huge increase in NHS efficiency.

Dr Ian Hudson, MHRA’s Chief Executive, said:

As a regulator, we know the important role that research and development plays in bringing new treatments to patients.

Given the ageing population, our work is even more vital to help transform outcomes for many thousands of patients – including cancer patients – to help make sure new and innovative treatments are made available to patients at the earliest, safest opportunity.

MHRA Annual Lecture 2018 – Medical innovation and the battle against cancer

Notes to Editor

1. The MHRA Annual Lecture is the Agency’s flagship event bringing together more than 200 senior domestic and international leaders from medicine, government, industry, academia, third sector and world health institutions. This year’s event took place on 17 October at the Royal Institution, in London.

2. Each year the lecture is delivered by internationally renowned experts to bring their perspective on topics of global importance. This year, Sir Harpal Kumar, ex-CEO of Cancer Research UK delivered a lecture titled “Medical Innovation and the battle against cancer: is the health system keeping pace?” His lecture follows those by Dr Jeremy Farrar, Wellcome Trust, in 2017, Dr Margaret Chan, World Health Organisation, in 2016, and Dr Dan Hartman, Gates Foundation, in 2015.

A YouGov poll has found that one in five of UK adults are drinking above the Chief Medical Officer’s low risk drinking guidelines and more than two thirds of these say they would find cutting down on their drinking harder to do than one or more other lifestyle changes – improving their diet, exercising more, or reducing their smoking, if they were smokers.

Working together for the first time, Public Health England and alcohol education charity Drinkaware are today (10 September 2018) jointly launching a new campaign ‘Drink Free Days’ to help people cut down on the amount of alcohol they are regularly drinking.

The campaign will be encouraging middle-aged drinkers to use the tactic of taking more days off from drinking as a way of reducing their health risks from alcohol.

The more alcohol people drink , the greater their risk of developing a number of serious potentially life limiting health conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart disease, as well as 7 types of cancer.

Regular drinking also increases the amount of calories consumed and can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
Evidence from behavioural science suggests that simple and easy ways of helping people to change their behaviour are the most effective, which is why Drinkaware and PHE have chosen to focus on Drink Free Days.

Pre-campaign research also found that the concept resonated strongly with people and was seen as clear to follow, positive and achievable.

Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive at Public Health England, said:

Many of us enjoy a drink – but whether it’s a few in the pub after work a couple of times a week, some beers on the sofa watching the football or regular wine with our dinner – it’s all too easy to let our drinking creep up on us.

While the link with liver disease is well known, many people are not aware that alcohol can cause numerous other serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease as well as several cancers. It’s also an easy way to pile on the pounds.

About 10 million people in England are drinking in ways that increases the risks and many are struggling to cut down. Setting yourself a target of having more drink free days every week is an easy way to drink less and reduce the risks to your health.

Commenting, Drinkaware Chief Executive Elaine Hindal said:

The more you drink, the greater the risk to your health. It’s really that simple.

But an increasing number of people, particularly middle aged drinkers, are drinking in ways that are putting them at risk of serious and potentially life limiting conditions such as heart disease, liver disease and some types of cancer.

That’s where this campaign comes in and we’re delighted to be joining forces with Public Health England for the first time to help give people that knowledge.

Having a few drink free days each week, will help reduce the risks to your health and improve your wellbeing.

This new partnership between Public Health England and Drinkaware is a fresh and bold step in our work to reduce alcohol harm. PHE’s One You digital platform has a strong track record on encouraging behaviour change; Drinkaware is an independent educational charity with an extensive reach to the key audiences. Working together to help communicate the message that having drink free days will reduce the risks to your health is the first move in what we hope will be a long term partnership.

Former England and Liverpool footballer John Barnes is supporting the campaign which will be providing people with a range of tools and resources to help them cut back and make better choices about their drinking.

John said:

This is an important campaign highlighting how many of us don’t realise that we are drinking in ways that could be harming our health and how we are struggling to moderate.

A beer here and a glass of wine there might not seem like much but the units can add up and so too can the health risks.

Having a few more days a week that are drink free is a great way of taking control of our drinking and making healthier choices for the future which is why I am supporting this fantastic campaign.

A dedicated website provides all the information, resources and apps to help support people, including the One You Drink Free Days app and Drinkaware’s Drink Compare Calculator.

Background

YouGov Survey

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov. YouGov interviewed 8,906 UK adults aged 18 to 85 online between 14 May and 5 June 2018. This included a subset of 1,847 adults who drank over 14 units in the last week. Data has been weighted to be representative of the UK adult population according to gender, age, social grade and region.

Proportion of adults drinking above the lower risk guidelines

Research shows that middle-aged drinkers are more likely to be drinking more (above the 14 units lower risk guidelines) than the general population: Adult Survey for England 2016 – Adult Health Trends (table 10).

Campaign evaluation

PHE and Drinkaware will separately undertake full independent evaluations and peer review processes.

The public health burden of alcohol

Evidence review: this PHE review looks at the impact of alcohol on the public health and the effectiveness of alcohol control policies.

Alcohol consumption: advice on low risk drinking

UK Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines on how to keep health risks from drinking alcohol to a low level.

Drink Free Days app

The Drink Free Days app is a simple and easy way to track the days you drink alcohol and the days you don’t.

One You

Launched in March 2016, One You from Public Health England is the first nationwide programme to support adults in making simple changes that can have a huge influence on their health, could help prevent diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease and reduce risk of suffering a stroke or living with dementia, disability and frailty in later life. It aims to inform, energise and engage millions of adults, especially those in the 40 to 60 ‘middle-aged’ group, to make changes to improve their own health by eating well, moving more, drinking less and quitting smoking. One You also provides information on free health checks and how people can reduce their stress levels and sleep better.

About Drinkaware

Drinkaware is an independent charity which aims to reduce alcohol-related harm by helping people make better choices about their drinking. We achieve this by providing impartial, evidence based information, advice and practical resources; raising awareness of alcohol and its harms, and working collaboratively with partners..Follow them on Twitter @drinkaware.

About PHE

Public Health England exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. We do this through world-leading science, knowledge and intelligence, advocacy, partnerships and providing specialist public health services. We are an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care, and a distinct organisation with operational autonomy. We provide government, local government, the NHS, Parliament, industry and the public with evidence-based professional, scientific expertise and support. Follow us on Twitter: @PHE_uk and Facebook: www.facebook.com/PublicHealthEngland.

Public Health England (PHE) say the NHS can ensure we all enjoy old age in good health by prioritising the prevention of smoking, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and obesity in the new long-term plan.

Smoking

The NHS long-term plan should commit to achieving a smokefree society by 2030 and a population prevalence of less than 5%.

Smoking should no longer be seen as a lifestyle choice, it is an addiction that warrants medical treatment. Everyone who smokes must be offered the support they need to quit and NHS trusts should be instructed to step up their efforts in establishing a smokefree NHS by 2020.

Reducing smoking rates is the single biggest thing we can do to improve the nation’s health. It will reduce CVD, respiratory conditions and cancer, meaning people can live longer in better health. And it will save the NHS up to £890 million a year.

Since the launch of the tobacco control plan and awareness campaigns like Stoptober smoking rates in England have dropped. We are currently on track to have as few as 8.5% of smokers in England by 2030, but we cannot become complacent. To stagnate or risk even a slight increase will have a profound effect on health.

CVD

CVD is the leading cause of disability and death in the UK. Yet an estimated 50 to 80% of CVD cases are preventable.

PHE says the long-term plan could save 250 to 500 lives each year across England by prioritising the identification of people who are at risk of developing CVD. Better detection and management of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and atrial fibrillation could prevent more than 9,000 heart attacks and at least 14,000 strokes from happening in the next 3 years.

High blood pressure continues to be the biggest single known risk factor for CVD and the third for premature death. It also reinforces health inequalities, with people from the most deprived areas in England 30% more likely to have high blood pressure.

Almost 7 million people have benefitted from the NHS Health Check since 2013. It is one of the biggest prevention programmes in the world and the long-term plan must continue to encourage its uptake and follow-up if we are to reap the benefits. The NHS should also work to normalise the conversations we have about blood pressure, striving for a nation where everyone can recall their blood pressure numbers as easily as their pin number.

’##Obesity

We are facing an obesity crisis. One in 3 children leave primary school overweight or obese and new figures show the levels of severe obesity in children aged 10 to 11 are higher than ever before. The childhood obesity plan has a commitment to halve the rate of childhood obesity by 2030.

The NHS long-term plan should build upon this to target adult obesity. One way to achieve this is by increasing weight management support provided.

Making it routine for people to have their body mass index (BMI) measured and recorded in primary care and pharmacy settings will provide an opportunity for healthcare professionals to give advice, promoting national guidance on diet and physical activity.

The NHS long-term plan should also renew our commitment to the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDDP). Type 2 diabetes, for which obesity is a key driver, is a major contributor to kidney failure, heart attack, and stroke. It costs the NHS around £8.8 billion every year.

The NDDP currently covers around 100,000 people. PHE wants the long-term plan to build on this success.

Duncan Selbie, chief executive of PHE said:

With the right long-term plan in place we can remove smoking from England, halve childhood obesity and the number of avoidable deaths from cardiovascular disease.

These 3 priorities are where the NHS and PHE should focus efforts. It is not that other priorities won’t matter, but these will need to matter most.

Successful delivery will require action from every part of civil society. We must pull together to use our resources and we must engage the public directly in the choices they are making about their own health and wellbeing.

Our population is aging, living longer in ill health and stubborn inequalities persist. For patients and the sustainability of the NHS we must increase our efforts to prevent illness instead of waiting to treat it.

Speaking at NHS Expo today, Thursday 6 September 2018, Duncan Selbie will say previous plans (such as the Five Year Forward View) have made good progress, but they have not delivered the promised radical upgrade in prevention.

He will call for more decisive action in the new long-term plan, saying there is an urgent need to prevent – not just treat – ill health, and the time has come to be ruthless in our prioritisation and investment in preventative strategies.

Background

Read Duncan Selbie’s blog ‘Prevention and the NHS long-term plan: 3 ways we can save more lives.’

Public Health England (PHE) is calling for adults across the country to take a free, online Heart Age Test, which will provide an immediate estimation of their ‘heart age’. If someone’s heart age is higher than their actual age, they are at an increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), with stroke and heart attack being the most common examples, is the leading cause of death for men and the second leading cause of death for women.

A quarter (24,000) of CVD deaths are in people under the age of 75, with 80% of these preventable if people made lifestyle and behaviour changes to improve their heart health (around 19,200 deaths per year – the equivalent to 50 deaths a day or one every 30 minutes). Knowing their heart age helps people to find out whether they are at risk and consider what they can do to reduce this risk.

High cholesterol and high blood pressure can both increase someone’s heart age, making them up to 3 times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke. In England, one in four adults have high blood pressure yet a further 5.6 million are living with the condition undiagnosed, placing millions of lives at risk of premature death and ill health.

The Heart Age Test asks a number of simple physical and lifestyle questions and provides an immediate estimation of someone’s heart age, as well as a prediction of the risk of having a heart attack or stroke by a certain age. It also gives suggestions on lifestyle changes to help people reduce their heart age such as losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising regularly and cutting back on alcohol.

The Heart Age Test has been completed more than 1.9 million times and four out of five (78%) people have a heart age higher than their actual age. Worryingly, 34% have a heart age over 5 years and 14% at least 10 years over their actual age.

Professor Jamie Waterall, National Lead for cardiovascular disease at PHE said:

Millions are at risk of cardiovascular disease but don’t know it, putting themselves at real risk of suffering ill-health or dying younger. Knowing your heart age is a simple way of finding out whether you’re at risk of a heart attack or stroke. By making important lifestyle changes you can reduce your risk before it’s too late.

Taking a Heart Age Test is something you can easily do at home, but it could be one of the most important things you do to help you live a healthy longer life.

Dr. Matt Kearney, national clinical director for cardiovascular disease prevention, at NHS England, said:

The heart age test is a simple and effective online device with the potential to help millions of people.

The long-term plan for the NHS will prioritise saving lives through improved protection against cardiovascular disease, and increased public understanding of the risks of stroke and heart disease will mean fewer people have to face these devastating conditions.

To help raise awareness of the importance of people knowing their heart age, TV doctor and GP, Dr. Hilary Jones will be taking on the challenge of testing 50 people’s heart age over the course of one day in London on Tuesday 4 September.

Dr. Hilary Jones said:

With 50 preventable deaths every day of people under the age of 75, this is serious. It’s vital that people know their heart health and take steps to reduce their risk of stroke and heart attack.

As well as obesity, poor diet and a lack of exercise, high blood pressure is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but these are all things that people can change, and they can change them now.

As part of the campaign, Amazon and Omron – the UK’s leading blood pressure monitor manufacturer – are working with Public Health England to launch a roadshow called ‘Treasure Your Heart’ to engage more people in the idea of knowing their heart age and blood pressure.

Amazon’s Treasure Truck will arrive in London and Manchester for 2 days to support the campaign and Omron’s nurses and technicians will be testing the blood pressure of as many people as possible. The events will be in London and Manchester on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 September.

Slimming World is also supporting the campaign to raise awareness of how losing weight can help to improve heart health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and is offering an exclusive discount for new members who take the Heart Age Test.

PHE’s Heart Age campaign will run until 30 September. Adults are encouraged to search ‘heart age’ to take the free online test.