New Public Health Service for England

• CIEH Public Health White Paper documents

In November 2010 the Coalition Government published its proposals for developing a new Public Health Service for England.

Healthy lives, healthy people: Our strategy for public health in England

 (publication www.dh.gov.uk)

The CIEH welcomes the White Paper and its associated documents - including the proposed review of public health professional regulation. We undertook a series of consultation events on the Government’s proposals in early 2011 and presented our response directly to the Public Health Minister, Anne Milton, at the closing event on 31 March 2011.

The Public Health White Paper follows on from the Government’s earlier White Paper on the reform of the NHS - Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS.

On 19 January 2011 the Government published its Health and Social Care Bill which will take forward its proposals for the future of public health in England. Among other things, the Bill proposes a duty on every local authority to take such steps as it considers appropriate for improving the health of the people in its area and sets out the steps that local authorities may take to achieve this.

• A new public health service for England – where are we now? June 2011
• CIEH briefing note for Second Reading Debate on 31 January 2011
• Mending the Department of Health’s public health proposals during the pause in the legislative proceedings

The CIEH continues to engage with the Department of Health at the highest level in order to ensure that our members’ views are listened to and the new public health service for England is designed appropriately. Most recently, we have made representations to the Secretary of State, Andrew Lansley MP, about the delivery of the new public health service in those parts of England with two-tier local government. Our concern is that the County and District Councils must co-operate in order to deliver joined-up and effective services.

Please see the letter in reply which the CIEH has received from the Secretary of State. In it, Mr. Lansley gives his strong support to District Councils and makes it clear that his Department expects the County Councils to involve their districts. There are some helpful comments about involvement in the new Health and Wellbeing Boards and the processes leading to the carrying out of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and the creation of the new health and wellbeing strategies.

Marmot Review event

On 23 February 2011, the CIEH and the Marmot Health Inequalities Review Team held a conference at CIEH headquarters with the aim of addressing the key questions facing local authorities as they gear up to take over the public health lead from the NHS in the delivery of England’s local public health services from 2013 onwards. A summary of the conference and the key presentations from it can be found on the Marmot Review event web page.

Updates on the transition from the Dept of Health

• Public Health in Local Government - Factsheets – December 2011
   
• Public Health England’s Operating Model - Factsheets – December 2011
   
• ‘Transforming Public Health’ bulletins from the Dept of Health
   
• 20/06/11: Public Health System Reform. Letter from Anita Marsland, Transition Managing Director, Public Health England
   
• 20/04/2011: Public Health England, letter from Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer
   
• 13/04/2011: Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS - Managing the transition – letter from Sir David Nicholson, NHS Chief Executive
   
• 17/03/2011: Public Health England - letter from Anita Marsland, Transition Managing Director, Public Health England

Health Select Committee Report, November 2011

In November 2011 the Health Select Committee published the report of its ‘Public Health’ inquiry which examined the Government’s proposals in detail. The CIEH submitted written evidence to the inquiry. It welcomed the Committee’s report and recommendations in a press release on 2 November 2011 and published a summary of the report for CIEH members.