00:00I am very interested in the role that nutrition plays in the widening health inequalities
00:12that are profoundly affecting my patients and the impact that's having nationwide.
00:22So can you tell me a little bit about this pilot that you've been part of launching in order to help combat some of these issues?
00:30Yeah, so I'll start off, maybe I'll start off with a little bit of background.
00:36So I've been a GP for 15 years or so.
00:42And I think over that time, what has become more and more apparent is that the NHS is a changing landscape.
00:52And the NHS was designed to deal with infectious diseases where people lived very short lives.
01:02The health care profession needs to work with the voluntary sector to produce projects together.
01:09I need to get myself out of a job. So I am starting a number of projects, actually.
01:17But the one that we're talking about today is fruit and vegetables on prescription plus education.
01:26And we are now in week eight of that programme. And I can tell you more about that if you want me to.
01:33Yeah. Tell me more about that. What is the programme? How does it work?
01:37What vegetables and fruit are people getting on prescription?
01:41So we carefully selected 12 type 2 diabetic patients, so patients with type 2 diabetes, who were ready to engage.
01:53So I think the most one was many skills that you need as a health professional.
01:57But one of them is to meet people where they're at.
02:01In fact, there's lots of evidence that as health professionals, we can be really guilty of health stigma and particularly weight stigma, which can be counterproductive.
02:10So it's really important to meet people where they're at and where they're at in what we call a cycle of change.
02:14In terms of the future, then, obviously, you guys are one GP surgery.
02:20But, you know, food poverty, food insecurity, all of that is a massive, massive issue.
02:26A hundred percent.
02:27Actually, in Bristol, what would you like to see happen?
02:31So at least it's a recognition that there is a problem with the food system as it is.
02:37And I'll take that recognition. And actually, if you remember all the changes with tobacco, they started with grassroots stuff.
02:45Grassroots, grassroots, grassroots. And eventually the message got through and the tide started changing.
02:51So I'm hopeful and positive that the tide is going to change.
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