Friday 21 May 2010

From The ‘No S***, Sherlock’ Files…

Sodom and Gomorrah has some serious health problems, according to a new report.

Alcohol-related illnesses, rising adult obesity, high numbers of sexually transmitted infections and high death rates for all cancers are some of the worrying issues affecting the city.

The city's director of public health Tom Scanlon has pinpointed areas of concern alongside issues where improvements have been made in his annual report.
Sorry about the typo there, we are actually talking about Brighton…
Dr Scanlon warned that people needed to take a good look at their attitudes and behaviours and decide whether they were willing to make some changes to help improve their long-term health.
And if they aren’t, Dr?

We should just give you even more money to try to get the message across, I suppose?
Dr Scanlon said Brighton had a long history of risk-taking sexual activity but the public health message did not seem to be getting through.

He said: "This may be due to the particular characteristics of our population, which contains many groups at greater risk.

"The high prevalence of alcohol consumption in the city is also an important factor.

We could react and invest considerable public money in public health messages.

"There is an evidence base on how best to present these messages but our recent track record suggests that while these might be heard, they may not necessarily be listened to. "
So stop wasting the money, Dr Scanlon. These people have every access to the facts imaginable – we live in an information-free society, after all – and if they simply don’t want to heed them, they won’t.

After all, the NHS takes care of them and they don’t pay a penny for it, do they? There are no longer any consequences, so why should they listen?
"We need a long and hard think about the issue of sexual health, about the related health and social costs, about the links to behaviour and the important role played by alcohol consumption."
Well, off you go and think long and hard about it. But don’t expect the taxpayer to feather your nest while you do so, eh?

7 comments:

Brian, follower of Deornoth said...

I've had a long think, and think that sacking Tom Scanlon is the way forward. And sacking all his staff, too. And not replacing them.

Mr Grumpy said...

Some mistake surely, they've just voted in a Green MP so must clearly be our most righteous city

Mr Grumpy said...

I ended my last comment with a mock HTML "close irony" tag. Blogger has no sense of irony.

Furor Teutonicus said...

we live in an information-free society,

Hmm. Do you actualy mean "Free-information society"?

What you said would be EXACTLY how the "Government" would LOVE it to be. NO information in the society.

Furor Teutonicus said...

Replies on a post csrd....preferably NOT one from Brighton.

Curmudgeon said...

Is he skating on thin ice referring to sexual health? We're constantly bombarded with messages about the evils of smoking, drinking and overeating, but it's just not politically correct to criticise lifestyles involving high-risk sexual behaviour, is it?

JuliaM said...

"I've had a long think, and think that sacking Tom Scanlon is the way forward. And sacking all his staff, too. And not replacing them."

Sounds like a plan! :)

"Some mistake surely, they've just voted in a Green MP so must clearly be our most righteous city"

Well, I can see how that might cure the desire to have sex, but surely it's only going to increase the drinking and drugtaking..? ;)

"Hmm. Do you actualy mean "Free-information society"?"

D'oh! Yes, I did..

"...but it's just not politically correct to criticise lifestyles involving high-risk sexual behaviour, is it?"

I'm eagerly awaiting the backlash right now!