As part of her encouragement of NHS staff to stave off obesity Dr McCartney suggests that "the NHS should promote the health benefits of cycling, by committing to having most employees cycle to work…..". I walked or cycled to work most days for nearly 40 years. When there was a new hospital building in Norwich I was determined to ensure proper shower facilities in the department for which I was responsible and covered bike sheds, which were provided. When a parking charge was made for the consultant car park of, I believe, £17.50 per month I suggested that the proceeds should be used to encourage cycling to work by awarding cyclists a £5 monthly bonus. Surely this would have been a small reward for reducing environmental pollution, reducing congestion, improving traffic flow in the city, improving the health of employees, cutting the number of car park spaces needed (a large car park extension has been built since I retired!) but such logic was beyond the grasp of the Chief Executive who said that any such reward would be divisive. Ah well. No wonder NHS staff continue to suffer surprising levels of overweight and obesity.
Rapid Response:
As part of her encouragement of NHS staff to stave off obesity Dr McCartney suggests that "the NHS should promote the health benefits of cycling, by committing to having most employees cycle to work…..". I walked or cycled to work most days for nearly 40 years. When there was a new hospital building in Norwich I was determined to ensure proper shower facilities in the department for which I was responsible and covered bike sheds, which were provided. When a parking charge was made for the consultant car park of, I believe, £17.50 per month I suggested that the proceeds should be used to encourage cycling to work by awarding cyclists a £5 monthly bonus. Surely this would have been a small reward for reducing environmental pollution, reducing congestion, improving traffic flow in the city, improving the health of employees, cutting the number of car park spaces needed (a large car park extension has been built since I retired!) but such logic was beyond the grasp of the Chief Executive who said that any such reward would be divisive. Ah well. No wonder NHS staff continue to suffer surprising levels of overweight and obesity.
Competing interests: No competing interests