Tory councillor says lots of NHS staff are ‘carrying a lot of weight’

A Tory Councillor has said that lots of staff in the NHS are ‘carrying a bit of weight’ and that this is a clear indication of wider nutritional problems.

Conservative Councillor for Trafford, Michael Whetton, admitted to his own weight control issues when he told the borough’s health and wellbeing board what he had noticed locally, as reported in the Manchester Evening News.

Mr Whetton went on to say that the number of ‘overweight NHS staff’ is a clear indication that there is a nutritional problem among the wider population in the borough, saying: “I don’t need to declare an interest in this issue.

“But I can’t help but notice — and I’m probably going to get shot to ribbons for saying this — it’s clear that a lot of NHS staff are carrying a lot of weight. So if that’s the case, it’s clearly a problem in the general population.”

He made the comments after Trafford director of public health Eleanor Roaf had delivered her annual report to the council’s health and wellbeing board. 

Chair of the board Councillor Jane Slater responded by saying NHS staff were having to resort to using food banks where nutritional quality was not high, saying: “It’s beans and bread.” 

Ms Roaf had told the board members that more than 12,000 households in Trafford are in fuel poverty this winter and are at risk of hypothermia, respiratory diseases and worsening mental health.

In her report she said that the war in Ukraine has led to shortages of both fuel and food, leading to increased costs of both, saying: “Trafford families have been very welcoming, with many people opening their homes to refugees, but finding longer-term housing for refugees, wherever they are from is a pressing issue.

“This is exacerbated by the huge divide in our housing sector, with many people in expensive, insecure and poor quality rented accommodation.” 

Ms Roaf explained how young people are particularly affected, and those without parental support are finding it challenging to raise the money for a housing deposit, as she called for the council to address ‘long-standing health inequalities’, which were further exposed and heightened during the pandemic which are ‘leading to worse outcomes for all’. 

Ms Roaf went on to say that ‘food insecurity’ was impacting on health and wellbeing in Trafford, adding: “Healthy food is generally more expensive than highly processed food and increases in energy costs will make it more likely that families will be forced into eating cheaper, lower quality foods. 

She added: “In Trafford, people living in more disadvantaged communities were already experiencing difficulties in accessing and affording food for a balanced diet before increases in the costs of living.

“Food insecurity is linked with malnutrition and obesity, as well as poor mental and physical health and wellbeing, so if we fail to tackle food insecurity, we are going to see a huge increase in demand on health and social services.” 

In September 2022 in Greater Manchester, 42% of people were experiencing food insecurity, with 56% of households with children and 34% without children struggling.

“Children in the most deprived communities in Trafford are already significantly more likely to be overweight or living with obesity than those better off,” Ms Roaf said. 

In Trafford, feedback from local charities highlights that the demand for food support is increasing, both from food pantries and foodbanks, with the additional challenges of energy costs for cooking.