1.0 Introduction

The assignment is about sustainable development goals. There are 17 sustainability development goals given by United Nations in the year 2015. One of the goals among the 17 sustainability development goals is good health and well-being. The assignment includes the purpose of the briefing paper. It includes the summary of the facts which has the background, current status, key considerations, options and conclusion. The assignment is about sustainable development goals. The chosen goal is good health and well-being which is the third goal among the seventeen goals. Good health and well-being are the right of every individual and it helps in the sustainable development of the country (Van Hove, 2019). This goal aims to reduce various communicable and non-communicable diseases and premature deaths so that the overall health of the people living in the country is maintained. The priority areas are those where there are the highest cases of diseases and the population affected by the diseases. The assignment has statistics about health care and well-being policies which are made by the government of the country.

2.0 The purpose

The purpose of this briefing paper is to gain knowledge about the third goal of sustainable development which is good health and well-being. The chosen country is the United Kingdom. There are seventeen goals proposed by United Nations for sustainable development.

3.0 The summary of the facts

Background

The aim of goal three which is good health and well-being is to ensure all people live a healthy life at all ages. Good health and well-being are important in every stage of a person’s life starting from the beginning of life. The major health priorities that this goal includes are reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (Fuso Nerini, 2019). Some other health priorities that are included in the goal are both communicable and non-communicable diseases, universal coverage of health and access for all people to safe, active, affordable and quality medicines and vaccines.

The people living in the country often get ill and this problem is very common but it affects the overall development of the country. If a person gets ill and suffers from a communicable disease there is a high chance that people living around that ill person will also get ill. Due to this a large number of people living in close contact with each other will get affected by the same disease and this will have an adverse effect on the overall health of the country. There was stability in health conditions in the United Kingdom before the pandemic occurred. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all the countries were suffering from poor health conditions (Van Hove, 2019).

The health of an individual is determined by the physical, social, economic and mental status of person. When a person is able to do daily tasks without any delay or problem then the person is said to be physically healthy. A physically healthy person has all the body parts working properly and there is no disease in the body. When a person is having problems in doing daily tasks such as routine work, office or academic work and any other task which is necessary for fulfilling daily needs then that person can be considered as physically unhealthy.

Health does not mean only the physical health of a person it also means the person is socially fit. A socially healthy person means that person is able to do all the responsibilities that are necessary for living in a society. The person should be able to interact with surrounding people and is able to behave as a normal person in society (Fuso Nerini, 2019). An economically healthy person means that person is capable of living a healthy life without any issues related to money. When a person is economically healthy they can afford good quality food that is nutritious (Sachs et al., 2019). Eating affects the health of a person if a person eats a balanced diet then there are fewer chances of getting diseased.

On the other hand, if a person eats unhealthy food then it causes obesity and leads to various diseases related to the heart. The people may seem healthy from the outside but there can be mental health issues (Fuso Nerini, 2019). The mental health of a person can adversely affect their daily life routines. When a person is not able to give response to situations and is unable to make decisions about life on their own then they are considered mentally ill. The issues related to a health conditions and well-being is present since the time of birth. The mother while giving birth to the child may transfer a disease that can be genetic or some communicable disease. For example, if the mother was suffering from HIV AIDS disease then during the birth or breastfeeding of the child the virus of HIV can be transferred to the child.

The vaccination of some diseases can be done to ensure that the disease does not spread. Some preventive measures should be followed to minimise the number of diseases spreading in the country. The government should make some policies to make sure people live healthy life. The people of the country will live a healthy life and well-being then the sustainable development of the country will be at a fast pace. Sustainable development means that all the people living in the country are living with good health and well-being.

Current status

The health and well-being conditions in the United Kingdom are quite stable. The major health issues which arise are diabetes, cancer, mental health and HIV AIDS. The eating habits of people are not according to a balanced diet which leads to diseases such as diabetes (Anderson M, 2021). Consumption of high amounts of sugar in regular diets leads to diabetes. Most people are suffering from type 2 diabetes and sometimes the disease is not diagnosed at early stages which leads to an increase in the disease condition. The people living in the United Kingdom have a habit of smoking which affects the lungs and leads to cancer. Smoking cigarettes have nicotine which damages the capacity of the lungs and make the person suffering from cancer. People also consume a high amount of alcohol which damages the organs of the body and may cause cancer. Mental health includes many conditions one most common among them is depression (Sachs et al., 2019).

Anxiety is also a part of mental health. When a person has high anxiety then they are unable to take normal decisions and therefore they are unhealthy. In depression, the person is unable to live happily and this affects their peace of mind and makes them unhealthy. People suffering from HIV AIDS disease are often seen as culprits in the eyes of society. People prefer to stay away from such patients due to various misconceptions related to HIV in society. This also affects the mental health of the patients. Sometimes patients do not disclose their HIV-positive status because they know society will not accept them. In recent times the National Health Service (NHS) has spent more on health care services. This shows that people are getting more diseased and ill. The expectations of people related to health care services and technologies have also increased which requires high investments. The government should make some policies which make sure that people are able to get access to healthcare facilities. The policies should also include elderly aged people because the prevalence of the disease is high in them. As the immunity of a person gets weak in older age people are unable to fight the diseases (Van Hove, 2019). The government should include care facilities in the policies to ensure that the person gets completely healthy and is able to recover from the disease. The government should give insurance policies related to the health of a person so that they can get better services in times of crisis.

Some healthcare conditions of a person are also affected when they suffer from an accident or injury. The treatment of such injuries should be done carefully to make sure that person lives a normal and healthy life after that. The issue related to the health of a person is present in the country for a long time. The government should organise some surveys to understand the most occurring diseases and which population is affected by those diseases the most (Sachs et al., 2019). Based on the data collected in the surveys the government should release new policies for the people. By doing this the target population can get better services for their disease conditions.

For changing the current scenario of diseases the people living in society should stay aware that they take good care of themselves. The people living in the society should follow the policies made by the government this will minimise the number of patients and diseased people in the country. The current issue that arises in the health of people in the United Kingdom is heart disease. People are suffering from coronary heart disease, heart stroke and many such diseases that are fatal and cause death (Fuso Nerini, 2019). Coronary heart disease is also known as coronary artery disease because it affects the artery the blood vessel which carries blood from the heart to the body. In coronary artery disease, there is a blockage in the artery due to which the body cells do not receive blood properly and the health of that person is affected. High consumption of fats in the regular diet causes accumulation of cholesterol around the blood vessels which causes blockages. To prevent this disease one should eat a balanced diet and do some regular exercise to stop the accumulation of cholesterol around the blood vessels.

The target of the sustainable development goal is linked to the environment. The deaths are caused by living in polluted air and contaminated water. The consumption of contaminated water leads to hazardous diseases like malaria and many others. Similarly when a person breathes bad quality air for a longer duration may suffer from lung diseases.

Key considerations

The dietary habits of people living in the United Kingdom are changing over a period of time drastically. The major driver of food and beverage habits is living a healthier life. The desire to live healthy lifestyles is making people of the United Kingdom to shift vegan diets. People have turned to eating organic food. The consumers of organic food consider themselves as the healthy consumers of the country as compared to the general population who do not consume organic foods. Around two billion British pounds are generated by the organic food and beverage market in the United Kingdom and are growing annually (Anderson M, 2021). The number of vegans is also growing in the country and is estimated to grow more with the time in future. The mental health of a person includes psychological, emotional and social well-being. Good mental health is necessary for each individual to live a happy life and function productively. This helps to cope with daily life stress and difficult situations. The reason behind a person being poor in mental health can be biological, economic, social and psychological factors. The reason behind people not opting for mental care services is the stigma associated with mental health.

The life expectancy in the United Kingdom was highest in the London borough of Westminster in the year 2019 was 87.22 years. There are several policies made by the government of the United Kingdom to ensure the good health and well-being of the citizens (Anderson M, 2021). NHS Digital is a programme which is aimed at digitalizing the social and healthcare systems in the UK. This system helps in the collection of data related to the health of the people and that data is used to understand the trends and make a decision according to the data. The NHS long-term plan that was launched in the year 2019 has aim to improve the health and well-being of the population. This is a ten-year plan to transform the NHS (National Health Service). The plan is focused on addressing some issues that are cancer, mental health, cardiovascular disease and improvement in the access to services related to healthcare. The five-year forward view for mental health is a national plan that is aimed at improving mental health-related services in the United Kingdom. The plan has various initiatives for the improvement of mental health services and includes an increase in the funding of mental health services, improving crisis care and increasing access to psychological therapies.

The healthy new town is a project which has the initiative to create healthy communities in the new developing towns. This project is focused on promoting healthy eating, physical activity and mental well-being. Public Health England is an agency run by the government that is responsible for protecting the health and well-being of the population and improving the conditions related to the health of the population. The agency works on the prevention and control of infectious diseases, promotes a healthy lifestyle and reduces health inequalities in the society and country (Anderson M, 2021). Social prescribing is a programme that links patients with non-medical support services. These services could be social clubs, community groups or exercise classes. The programme is aimed at the social factors which have an impact on the health of an individual such as loneliness or social isolation.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an organisation that works independently on providing guidance based on evidence for the most effective ways of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of health conditions. The organisation also provides guidelines for healthcare professionals regarding the treatment and interventions that are effective. The childhood obesity plan is focused on reducing the obesity rates in children and it is an initiative by the government. This plan includes the restriction on advertisements of unhealthy and junk foods, the introduction of a sugar tax and the promotion of physical activities on the school premises (Fuso Nerini, 2019). The people living in the country should follow the policies made by the government. These policies are made for the betterment of people so that the health and well-being of the population should be under proper conditions.

The policies and programmes introduced by the government regarding good health and well-being are made by keeping all sections of +the society into consideration. Especially those people who are found most ++affect by a certain disease condition. The health of a country is determined by the health of the people living in that country if the people living in the country are healthy then the overall health of the country is said to be good. People should get better access to healthcare services to remain healthy and to come out of the disease normally (Anderson M, 2021). There should be equality in the health and social care services to ensure each person receives proper care when needed. There should not be any discrimination in the country because it leads to health inequalities in the country. There should be strict laws against all those people who are found practising discrimination in society. The key consideration for the sustainability goals should be followed and worked upon this will help in maintaining the good health and well-being of the people in the United Kingdom.

Options

The healthcare system in the United Kingdom is having some pros and cons. The pro of the health care system is that it offers similar treatment to all patients (Sachs et al., 2019). There is no discrimination against any patient by the doctors. The health care professional provides the same services to their patients. Most of the treatments are free of cost and only the health care tax has to be paid for the services which is a nominal charge (Fuso Nerini, 2019). There are some cons in the health care system of the country which include although the treatment is free of cost there are some drugs which are not included in the health care system and the patient has to pay externally for those drugs.

The pros of the health care system are that most of the medical centres use electronic devices for data storage which makes it easier for doctors and patients to keep the record. For example, if the patient relocates to a new location then the doctor will be able to provide health care services because they have digitalised data in their devices related to that patient this is make sure that there is no hindrance in the medical procedures. But the con associated with electronic storage of data is that it will increase the chances of data getting stolen and no patient would want that to happen. The government should work on policies related to obesity control.

It was seen that many people suffer from diseases and the reason behind the disease is obesity. The policies should include minimising the production of junk and unhealthy food by doing this people will not be able to consume such foods and their cholesterol levels will remain balanced. There should be complete and proper treatments available for the diseases that occur the most (Sachs et al., 2019). The health care centres should have all the necessary equipment and medications available at all times for any medical emergency. Mental health should be treated and the stigma should be removed by the people living in the society so that there is no hesitation in acquiring treatment for poor mental health conditions (Van Hove, 2019). The government should make some more policies to make mental health cases low in the country. The government of the United Kingdom should organise some camps and campaigns to promote healthy eating habits.

Eating healthy will make people live for long years and the risk of gaining diseases will also be minimised. Some injurious substance that is consumed by people like smoking cigarettes and alcohol consumption should be banned by the government. Smoking and consumption of alcohol lead to many health hazards. People living in the United Kingdom are more aware of their health and they immediately take healthcare services when they are sick. This leads to improving health conditions and makes population productivity high (Van Hove, 2019). General health care facilities are free in the country and the treatment of infectious diseases is controlled because people opt for treatments whenever needed. Health care services are available in all regions of the country including the rural and urban areas this makes it accessible for all of the population of the country to acquire health facilities and services. There is no discrimination based on the social status of the patient. Even if the patient belongs to any social status the treatment will be provided based on the medical condition of the patient. This makes it easier for a lot of people who cannot afford proper treatments.

Heath care Interventions

The healthcare system of the UK is in crisis as the central funding of the UK is no longer in pace with the demand of the UK population. There are traditional responses such as – more spending, seeking savings, and invoking market forces that are not considered solutions (Al-Shaer et al, 2019). The health of the UK urgently depends on the models in which there is a negotiation between healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public. There is a model which should focus mainly on the diseases of an individual to take corrective measures for a longer time. These changes are traditionally far unrelated to the food, environment, or advertisement. The true effectiveness of the cost of healthcare interventions in society should be balanced against the cost opportunity of their implementations. Without taking this in mind the interventions on the healthcare services can be poor, and the services that are being served can be poor.

There is real data on the expenditure that has risen by 3.7 per cent every year from 2009 to 2022. However, it has been observed that with the cost has risen fast in technology, drugs, innovation, etc. there is a rise in chronic disability of elderly patients. It has been observed that there is a rise in the growth of diseases in humans and it has risen from 1.9 million to around 3 million in 2019. The NHS has been observed as the disease detection service. But according to the survey it has been analysed that the primary and secondary step taken by NHS is inappropriately structured also to spend less on human care they eventually end up spending more due to the poor health conditions of human economically, socially, environmentally, or physically. There is disproportional cost distribution in the spending of health care services (Al-Shaer et al, 2019). Thus far it is observed that the UK has the largest cost element in end-of-life care services which cost around £4500 during their last days of around 90 days. There were around 1/3rd of the population doesn’t get the benefit of good services and end up their lives due to a lack of good health facilities or services being provided. Thus, it can be said that there is a lot of inappropriate distribution of cost and healthcare facilities in the UK which has risen poor healthcare conditions and also led to the end of many people's life.

The reason behind all this could be bad preparation and planning or could be poor structure or model that is being designed for the treatment and precautions for the health of the people. According to the survey it is found that the current model that is being used by the UK is about ‘Health Maintenance’ but it should broadly be according to factors such as unhealthy lives of people, environmental conditions, and social deprivation (Fuso Nerini, 2019). People are not aware of the results they are responsible for their health and the conditions they are suffering from. The data deprives that around 42% of the population was not only caused by lifestyle but also by poor medical conditions. But the primary source cause of the disease is a poor lifestyle and this can be improved by less socializing drinking less alcohol, and less smoking. The diet of individuals in the UK is obese as bad eating habits and poor health management has caused them obesity which will lead to poor health conditions (Al-Shaer et al, 2019). It is observed that around 80% of diseases that are generated at the premature cardiovascular stage are preventable. This can be resolved with the help of doing exercises, even if the person is taking a heavy diet but with the help of physical activity they can resolve the problems of being overweight. Starting from obesity the diseases got a kickback and get increased, first the generation should focus on good and healthy diets and physical exercises to reduce their effects in the future and then they can be resolved in a better manner.

4.0 Conclusion

According to the report, it is analysed that just spending more will not resolve all the issues and it is not the answer to all the solutions. Nor the diversified commercial competition will help in resolving issues in the healthcare market. The healthcare conditions of the UK are the world's most market-based and also costly conditions. There is around 18 per cent of the gross domestic product delivers the life expectancy of the people of the UK. Firstly there should be a main focus on the prevention of the disease that the report analysed that people should be aware of their conditions first the learning can come through the campaigns and awareness programs. The government of the UK can take measures to prevent the cause of death and poor medical conditions by banning smoking and drinking. In this report, there is a brief discussion about the life of humans in the UK and what preventive measures could be taken to resolve the issues. There are proper analyses of the healthcare conditions and suggestions to get this issue resolved. There is a structure-based study to resolve the issues and study on expensive measures taken by the government and also by the National Health Services. Thus, there should be a coherent policy for promoting and sustaining health should be created.

5.0 References

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Assignment On Good Health And Well-Being

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