We all smoke drink and shag to much

Well according to one of Camerons shooting in pieces.
And the daily wail.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....ump-bed-drop-hat.htm

Seems a fair point. The highest rates of smoking and drinking related deaths are in the north. The life expectancy of someone who lives in Scotland is several years shorter than someone who lives in the south-east of England.

There are many things to attack politicians for but telling the truth isn't one of them, however much it may hurt.

Quoted from kingofthekippers

Seems a fair point. The highest rates of smoking and drinking related deaths are in the north. The life expectancy of someone who lives in Scotland is several years shorter than someone who lives in the south-east of England.

There are many things to attack politicians for but telling the truth isn't one of them, however much it may hurt.

I just wish someone would give them a course in understanding statistics. Smoking and drinking related deaths maybe more common in the north, but those in the south are generally richer, and have access to better medical care. So instead of it meaning people in the north are less healthy, it actually shows that if you live outside of London, and if you can't afford private health care, your more likely to die from smoking and drinking

Quoted from scrumble

I just wish someone would give them a course in understanding statistics. Smoking and drinking related deaths maybe more common in the north, but those in the south are generally richer, and have access to better medical care. So instead of it meaning people in the north are less healthy, it actually shows that if you live outside of London, and if you can't afford private health care, your more likely to die from smoking and drinking

Mmm, debatable. Whilst I have no doubt there are more subscribers to private medical care south of Watford Gap than there is north I don't think that has too much impact on the statistics for healthcare. Wherever you may look the NHS is the primary source of healthcare for the vast majority of the populace.

My faith was shaken when Jamie Oliver tried to introduce better food into Rotherham's schools only for parents to do lunchtime runs to the chippy and burger van for their offspring.

Pick the a school in Brixton and you'd have the same issue. Fact is in the south the class ratio is totally different, and more people in London can afford private medical care, and even those that can't have better NHS medical care on their doorstep. The further out from London you are the more scarce medical care is. Heart attacks are the most well known result of bad health. Have a heart attack in London and you have paramedics on you in minutes, and hospitals close by. Have a heart attack in the sticks in Scotland and you wait an age for an ambulance and have a hell of ride to the nearest hospital.

Moving to Wales its been a hell of an eye opener as to how poor health care is here. My father in law recently had to have three hour journey down to Swansea to have a stent fitted following a heart attack.

Quoted from scrumble

Pick the a school in Brixton and you'd have the same issue. Fact is in the south the class ratio is totally different, and more people in London can afford private medical care, and even those that can't have better NHS medical care on their doorstep. The further out from London you are the more scarce medical care is. Heart attacks are the most well known result of bad health. Have a heart attack in London and you have paramedics on you in minutes, and hospitals close by. Have a heart attack in the sticks in Scotland and you wait an age for an ambulance and have a hell of ride to the nearest hospital.

Moving to Wales its been a hell of an eye opener as to how poor health care is here. My father in law recently had to have three hour journey down to Swansea to have a stent fitted following a heart attack.

But that that is geography for you. Five million people live in Scotland, a nation not dissimilar in size to England which is host to 52 million people. Of those 5m, 3.2m live in the central belt form Ayr in the west to Fife in the east.

You can't have the NHS provision for Greater London, where 8 million people live, in Scotland where 5m people live in an area 50 times bigger. For Wales it is an area home to 3 million people in area 15 times bigger. Common sense really; if you live in Waltham it takes an ambulance 6 minutes to reach you. Live in North Somercotes and it will take 15 minutes.

I don't smoke: agree with the drinking and shagging though.

I've spent a fair bit of time in hospitals over the last year or two due to my amazing failing kidneys and the ammount of drinking based ailments continues to amaze me, especially involving younger people. I really do struggle to see how the NHS will operate like it currently does in the future with peoples attitudes to excesses involving alcohol, smoking and food. As much as it pains me to agree with David Cameron, he is right, apart from the shagging.

Quoted from MyDogsThoughts

I don't smoke: agree with the drinking and shagging though.

I d'ont smoke, agree with the drinking though

Quoted from kingofthekippers

You can't have the NHS provision for Greater London,

I wasn't arguing for the same level of cover throughout the UK. The fact is in London in the event of a stroke or heart attack good medical cover is immediately available. Prior to that good medical cover also means that potential victims can be identified, and pre-emptive care given to avoid such illnesses.

As you travel further north the ratio of upper to working class changes. Not only do the well off have access to better health care, neither are they exposed to the same health risks in everyday life. The most obvious smoking related illness is lung cancer, the chances of contracting cancer greatly increased if you work in the building trade for example.

Someone once said that without sex, booze and rock n' roll you don't actualy live any longer. It just seems like it.

Well in my opinion I think I really do struggle to see how the NHS will operate like it currently does in the future with peoples attitudes to excesses involving alcohol, smoking and food.

Quoted from kingofthekippers

but telling the truth isn't one of them, however much it may hurt.

very true  and sometimes it does hurt

The amount that many young people drink these days is horrific. Being at uni, I see the amount that some of the students drink and know that at some point in the near future they will have severe liver problems. My flatmate had a liver test and his results suggested extensive liver damage and he doesn't drink half as much as some other students that I know. Luckily he has cut down since then and his follow up test showed the liver was repairing itself. But there will be a boom in 5-10 years of 25-35 year olds who's livers have packed in.