Tories pledge ‘cash for results’ on health

Extra money will be handed to Rochdale health chiefs if they slash the number of teenage pregnancies and obesity levels, under Tory proposals.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said tackling public health problems would be devolved to a local level on a payment-by-results system.

A “health premium” would target funds at poorer communities with the worst and most entrenched public health problems.

Prizes will be offered for the best suggestions for campaigns to alter people’s behaviour.

Mr Lansley said despite a raft of public health targets, Britain had the highest teenage pregnancy rate in western Europe and the widest gap between the life expectancy of rich and poor since Victorian times.

Mr Lansley said: “There is a vast human and financial cost associated with problems like obesity, sexually-transmitted diseases and infectious diseases.

“Preventing them makes good economic sense and good public health sense. Obesity costs the NHS £4.2 billion alone.”

Other Tory health proposals include ditching the “confusing” units system for labelling alcoholic drinks as part of plans to make Britain healthier.

Instead, details will be given on what volume alcoholic drinks contain — as well as how many calories. Fast-food outlets, restaurants and bars would also be urged to provide customers with dietary information such as calories and salt content.

The Department of Health said public health was already at the top of the agenda. A spokesman said: “Governments across the world, including the US, look to us for our revolutionary approach on tackling obesity — Change4Life is streets ahead by using behaviour change insights to empower families, companies, councils, and everyone else to play their part in helping people lead healthier lives.

“We are no longer seeing a rise in childhood obesity — rates are levelling off.”

Health Secretary Andy Burnham said: “It’s time we had some clearer labelling from the Conservative Party.

“Andrew Lansley is out of touch if he thinks that expressing alcohol content in centilitres will curb this country’s alcohol problem.”