LGA responds to Health Foundation report on public health funding

10 Sep 2019 09:31 AM

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responded to a Health Foundation report calling for long-term, strategic investment across government to keep people healthy 

“People’s lives are improved for the better by councils, with every pound invested by government in council-run services such as public health helping to relieve pressure on other services like the NHS.

“Everyone agrees that prevention is better than cure, but as this report highlights, reinvestment in the public health grant is needed to help people live longer, healthier lives and spend less time in hospital.

“Councils are already doing as much as they can to keep their communities healthy and active. The recent £3.5 billion package for local government announced in the Spending Round for next year will help these efforts.

“What is also needed is a joined-up prevention approach across government, which will help councils tackle persistent problems like obesity, mental illness, substance misuse, sexually transmitted infections and the health impact of loneliness.”

Report:   More strategic, long-term investment needed across government for a healthy and prosperous nation