Our response to Better Health for London, the London Health Commission's report to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, on how to improve the health and wellbeing of Londoners.

Of all the measures contained in Lord Darzi’s report we particularly welcome the proposal to make many of London’s picture postcard landmarks, including parks smoke-free. With 8,000 Londoners dying prematurely as a result of smoking, we owe it to our population to continue implementing measures, which will reduce uptake and support others to quit.

Increasing the number of smoke-free locations will be another important step in helping decrease the visibility of tobacco smoking and help to banish it to the 20th century. Seven years on from the introduction of the ban on smoking in public places we know that the impact on health has been tremendous. 

Public spaces such as parks are an obvious contender to extend this ban – they should be a place where the public can go to relax and green spaces provide an excellent location for sport and recreation.  Measures to make these locations smoke-free would actually reinforce them as healthy spaces for the public.

Many of our Capital’s parks are used by children and young people so making them smoke-free should further reduce their exposure to tobacco smokers which in turn will further discourage them from taking up the habit. Tobacco smoking is just one of many public health issues which the Darzi proposals seek to address and the need for this plan is long overdue.

Four in every five deaths in the nation's capital are due to unhealthy lifestyles, and despite being a global leader in so many areas London has embarrassing and quite shocking levels of obesity, smoking, inactivity and poor mental wellbeing.

Our health services are buckling under the strain of financial pressures and measures that relieve the pressure on the system by supporting the prevention of ill health should be welcomed with open arms. We know as part of our work with the Well London project that Londoners respond well when given support to improve their health and wellbeing, and we know that it has improved the quality of lives of many.

This is a very ambitious plan for a very ambitious city. We need to ensure there is swift, full and unequivocal implementation of Lord Darzi’s recommendations. We must also look to extend this nationally – what is good enough for London is surely good enough for the rest of the UK? And by doing so London can lead the world in demonstrating how cities should support the health of their people.