The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Andrew Lansley)
Today I am publishing policy updates on the new public health system, covering local government’s new public health functions and the operating model for Public Health England (PHE). Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, PHE will be established in April 2013.
The Government have an ambitious programme to improve public health through strengthening local action, supporting self-esteem and behavioural changes, promoting healthy choices and changing the environment to support healthier lives.
The updates define the Government’s plans, set out in the White Paper “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our strategy for public health in England”, in November 2010, to change the way public health is delivered nationally through establishing Public Health England as an executive agency and locally, through moving responsibility and accountability for public health to local government.
These reforms will see local authorities taking the lead for improving health and co-ordinating local efforts to protect the public’s health and well-being, and ensuring health services effectively promote population health. Local political leadership will be central to making this work.
In addition, a new executive agency, Public Health England will:
deliver services: health protection, public health information and intelligence, and services for the public through social marketing and behavioural insight activities;
lead for public health by encouraging transparency and accountability, building the evidence base, building relationships promoting public health; and
support the development of the specialist and wider public health work force by appointing directors of public health with local authorities, supporting excellence in public health practice and bringing together the wider range of public health professionals.
The NHS will continue to play a full role in providing care, tackling inequalities and ensuring every clinical contact counts.
In “Healthy Lives, Health People: update and way forward”, published in July 2011, we included commissioning of termination of pregnancies as one of the areas for which local authorities will be responsible. I have now reflected further on whether it would be appropriate for local authorities to be responsible for commissioning procedures that will involve surgical procedures and the associated need for strong clinical governance arrangements to ensure people receive a safe, legal service. I therefore intend to consult on whether commissioning termination of pregnancies should in the longer term be the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups or local authorities. In the interim, as a practical measure, CCGs will be responsible for commissioning these services for April 2013.
The update documents have been placed in the Library. Copies are available to hon. Members from the Vote Office and to noble Lords from the Printed Paper Office. The updates are also available at
http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/category/public-health.