Calorie labels are to be added to online menus at fast food outlets as part of a series of measures aimed at reducing future demand on health services, the health ministry has been told.
The advice is included in a discussion paper based on recommendations from the department’s research unit on “Practical areas of behavioural science to improve productivity in healthcare” published today.
Earlier this year, a report by the Irish government’s Department of Economics and Evaluation found that large increases in healthcare funding and staffing levels in recent years have not been matched by a similar level of increased activity in the state’s hospitals.
One recommendation is to increase hospital activity by replacing the default treatment of day treatment with inpatient treatment – meaning an overnight stay – for some procedures, as well as arranging virtual follow-up appointments for “low-risk” patients. The report cites tonsil removal as an example, noting that in Ireland this usually involves an overnight stay, but elsewhere it is done as a day hospital.
It also makes recommendations for future demands on health services, including better communication to encourage uptake of screening services, as early diagnosis of cancers “helps improve health outcomes and reduce future costs.”
Overweight and obesity are a growing challenge for the Irish health sector, the report says. It suggests including calories in online menus at fast food chains, ensuring front-of-pack nutrition labelling in supermarkets and adopting a policy of using recommended portions through “appropriate” sized tableware such as bowls and plates in public building canteens.
The HSE’s recently established productivity unit is to take into account the series of suggestions made in the paper as it develops its programme of work to increase productivity and efficiency.
In a foreword, the department’s secretary general, Robert Watt, and the HSE’s director general, Bernard Gloster, say healthcare productivity is “crucial to our efforts to deliver the highest level of care, to the greatest number of people, for the increasing amount of money we invest as a people in providing care”.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly welcomed the recommendations in the discussion paper, saying they can “increase productivity while maintaining existing clinical standards and creating a better experience for patients and staff”.
“Small, simple changes, based on behavioural science, like those proposed in this report, can make a big difference. Most of the changes proposed are inexpensive and relatively quick to implement,” he added.
