IN THE NEWS
KNOWSLEY CABBIES’ TIPS ON HEART HEALTH
NHS BODY PRAISED FOR SCHEME TARGETING ASIAN TAXI DRIVERS IN SHEFFIELD
An NHS scheme to tackle the health prob- lems of South Asian taxi drivers in Sheffield has been hailed a suc- cess.
Jennifer Wharton chats to cabbie John O’Sullivan
Knowsley cabbies have been recruited to share their healthy words of wisdom as part of a new initiative to promote the dan- gers of heart disease. The latest drive from Knowsley Health and Wellbeing will see trained taxi drivers giv- ing tips to passengers on how to help prevent cardiovascular dis-
ease and offer infor- mation about the services available through the NHS. One driver, John O’Sul- livan, 48, from Huyton, told the Liverpool Echo:
“I’m really
enjoying driving my branded cab; it’s the perfect opportunity to talk to the passengers about the dangers of heart disease.”
The Marmot Review on health inequalities in the country, entitled Fair Society, Healthy Lives, has held up the NHS Sheffield screen- ing programme as an example of best prac- tice.
Dr Jeremy Wight, direc- tor of public health at NHS Sheffield, told the Yorkshire Post: “I am delighted that this inno- vative work with a particular community has been recognised. “Conventional ap- proaches to putting over health promotion messages have often failed in the past to
reach men, and South Asian men in particular. That is particularly unfortunate given that they have high levels of heart disease and dia- betes.
“So developing new ways to put over the health messages, and help them take control of their own health, is really important. We must now try to extend this kind of approach to other communities.” As reported in PHTM last year, the scheme involved NHS Sheffield joining forces with One Medicare to provide a cardiovascular screen- ing programme for South Asian taxi driv- ers who had been identified as a high risk for heart disease. A group of drivers
agreed to be “health champions” and the initiative was promot- ed to other taxi drivers, with 142 drivers attending the Sheffield City GP Health Centre for screening.
As part of the health checks the drivers’ height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure were also tested.
Those identified as being a high risk were offered appointments to see a doctor. Permjeet Dhoot, health improvement principal at NHS Sheffield, said: “It is excellent news that this initiative has been recognised as best practice across the country. “We will be continuing this work with drivers
and will also be target- ing other ‘at risk’ groups across the city.”
Hafeas Rehman, chair- man of the Sheffield Taxi Trade Association, who was screened himself, added: “The initiative is a great idea because it can high- light potential future illnesses before they arise.
“The drivers were grateful for the chance to be screened and soon realised it was a quick and easy process.
“It helped to target people in the commu- nity who are more likely to suffer from heart disease. The ini- tiative has opened the eyes of many in the community.”
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