Chief executive calls for ban on sugar-sweetened drinks or vendor levy on sales to protect patients and staff

NHS England is proposing to ban sugar-sweetened drinks from hospital vending machines and restaurants, in a dramatic attempt to curb obesity that goes beyond the government’s plans for a sugar levy.



The chief executive, Simon Stevens, who has previously spoken out about junk food being sold in hospitals and the risk that health problems caused by weight gaincould bankrupt the NHS, unveiled two radical proposals to cut obesity. The first is to reduce the amount of high-sugar soft drinks consumed in hospitals. The alternative to the outright ban is to impose a feeon vendors of sugar-sweetened drinks, which would amount to 20% of their sales.

“Confronted by rising obesity, type 2 diabetes and child dental decay, it’s time for the NHS to practice what we preach,” Stevens told the ukactive physical activity conference.



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“By ploughing the proceeds of any vendor fees back into staff health and patient charities these proposals are a genuine win-win opportunity to both improve health and cut future illness cost burdens for the NHS.”

Both proposals are radical. The 20% fee would be imposed on sales of all drinks with added sugar, including fruit juices, milk-based drinks and coffees, which are all excluded from the government’s proposed sugar tax. It would also be enforced next year; the government levy will not come in until 2018.

It costs the NHS £6.1bn a year to treat overweight and obesity-related health issues. Type 2 diabetes, one of the main consequences of obesity, costs the NHS £8.8bn a year.

NHS staff themselves are severely affected, with 700,000 thought to be overweight or obese, making it harder for them to advise patients on healthy eating habits.



NHS England’s medical director, Sir Bruce Keogh, said staff wanted change.

“Healthcare professionals are increasingly concerned about the contribution of sugar to diabetes and obesity, and many are keen to see healthier options in their own workplaces,” he said.

A ban on the sale of any sugary drink on NHS premises has been trialled in some hospitals in England, including the university hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust. It is being introduced throughout hospitals in New Zealand and trialled at the University of California, San Francisco.

The NHS carried out a two-month trial at the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool, removing all sugary soft drinks from one set of cafes and restaurants. They found it did not lead to a drop in drinks sales and staff said the customers were broadly positive about it.

The NHS consultation on the proposals asks which of the two options will be simpler and less expensive to implement and which will have the greatest impact.

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The Royal College of Physicians’ special adviser on obesity, Prof John Wass, applauded the move. “This initiative will not only have the practical effect of reducing the amount of sugar consumed, but will also send out a strong message to patients and visitors.”

But the British Soft Drinks Association said it did not see the need for it.

“It’s hard to see how a ban on soft drinks can be justified given that the sector has led the way in reducing consumers’ sugar intake – down by over 17% since 2012,” said the director general, Gavin Partington. “Given that the government is looking to introduce a soft drinks tax in 2018 it seems slightly odd that another public body wishes to duplicate this process.”

According to the consultation document, NHS England recognises the impact that the government’s sugar levy will have, if introduced from April 2018. “However, we believe that the NHS should be at the leading edge of national efforts, setting an example to society at large with an additional measure brought in from April 2017.”