Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Chief Executive

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Executive on the Council’s response to the consultation on the Public Health White Paper “Healthy Lives Healthy People” published in November 2010.  There were 3 consultation papers on which comments were sought.  The proposals in the first paper, “Our strategy for public health in England”, referred to the transfer of public health to the Local Authority.  The key points in the paper were:

      Local Authorities would be tasked with improving public health, fighting obesity, alcohol and drug abuse, smoking and sexually transmitted diseases;

      The Director of Public Health would be the strategic leader for public health and health inequalities in local communities working in partnership across public, private and voluntary sectors;

      There would be a renewed focus on bringing health work into early years, schools and unemployment initiatives;

      There would be ring-fenced budgets for public health. These were to be determined but councils would receive bonus payments for delivering on obesity and smoking targets;

      The guiding principle was to reach across and reach out – reach the root causes of poor health and reach out to people in most need;

      The support to be provided by local authority public health teams would need to be responsive, resourced, rigorous and resilient.

The second paper, “Transparency in Outcomes” set out proposals to put in place a new strategic outcomes framework for public health at national and local levels; the framework was guided by a set of principles and would:

      Use indicators that were meaningful to people and communities;

      Focus on major causes and impacts of health inequality, disease and premature mortality;

      Take account of legal duties in particular under equalities legislation and regulations;

      Take a life course approach;

      As far as possible use data collated and analysed nationally to reduce the burden on local authorities.

The third consultation was on the funding and commissioning routes for public health and sought views on both who should be the lead commissioner for specific services and on aspects of funding.  Public health services would be funded by a new ring-fenced public health budget separate from the budget managed through the NHS Commissioning Board.  Public Health England would fund public health activity through:

      Allocating funding to local authorities;

      Commissioning services via the NHS Commissioning Board;

      Commissioning or providing services itself.

For each consultation, there were a set number of questions and the report had included suggested answers.  The committee was advised that the overall approach of the White Paper was to focus on health and improvements to health rather than on disease management. 

It was noted that a Shadow Health and Wellbeing Board was to be in place by 1 April 2012.

In discussing the White Paper and the three consultation documents Members felt that there was a role for a cross party group of Members to consider the impact of the changes to the NHS on the Council’s scrutiny arrangements, including the role of the Health and Well being Board and its relationship with Scrutiny.

RESOLVED:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 103