Calorie labels should be put on online menus for fast food outlets as part of a series of measures aimed at reducing future demand on the health service, the Department of Health has been advised.
The advice is included in a discussion paper based on recommendations from the department’s research unit on “practical areas for behavioural science to improve productivity in health” published today.
Earlier this year a report by the department and the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service found that large increases in healthcare funding and staffing in recent years have not been matched by a similar level of rising activity in the State’s hospitals.
One recommendation is to increase hospital activity by changing the default to day case rather than inpatient treatment – meaning an overnight stay – for certain procedures as well as conducting follow-up appointments for “low risk” patients virtually. The report highlights the removal of tonsils as an example, saying that in Ireland this generally involves an overnight stay but is done on a day case basis elsewhere.
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It also makes recommendations in anticipation of future demands on the health service including that there should be better communication to encourage uptake of screening services, as early diagnosis of cancers “helps to improve health outcomes and reduce future costs”.
According to the paper, overweight and obesity is a growing challenge for Ireland’s health sector. It suggests calories be included on online menus for fast-food chains, ensuring the presence of front-of-package nutrition labelling for food products in supermarkets, and adopting a policy of using recommended portion sizes through “appropriately” sized tableware such as bowls and plates in canteens in public buildings.
The HSE’s recently established productivity unit is to consider the range of suggestions made in the paper as it develops its work programme to increase productivity and efficiency.
In a foreword, department secretary general Robert Watt and HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster say healthcare productivity is “crucial to our efforts to deliver the highest standard of care, to the greatest number of people, for the increasing amount of money we invest as a people in providing care”.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly welcomed the recommendations in the discussion paper, stating they can “increase productivity while maintaining existing clinical standards and creating a better experience for patients and staff”.
“Small, uncomplicated changes informed by behavioural science, like those proposed in this paper, can make a big difference. Many of the proposed changes are low cost and relatively quick to scale up,” he added.
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