Public Health White Paper

The Coalition’s White Paper ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People’ was published yesterday. Whilst it makes reference to the role of employers and highlights their responsibility, there is nothing as yet that we haven’t heard before.

The government calls on employers to provide better training for managers, forge closer links with occupational health and, wait for it, set up mini competitions / challenges between staff in activities such as cycling. This is hardly the radical approach that they refer to in the beginning of the document.

I don’t know who they consulted with before publication, but I don’t think they realise the significant investment that many employers already make in the health of the working population, saving much of the public purse. What would really galvanise employers are tax/financial incentives that reward them for making further investment.