The Liberal Democrats will set out plans at their Autumn
Conference to reverse savage Conservative cuts to local public
health grants, as part of a shift to empowering local communities
to tackle the root causes of ill health.
The Conservative government has slashed spending on public health
grants by around a fifth since 2015, amounting to real-terms cuts
of almost £800m. This has meant cuts to vital schemes that
promote better health, including reducing smoking, improving
children’s health and providing sexual health or drugs and
alcohol services.
Analysis by the House of Commons Library commissioned by the
Liberal Democrats has revealed that in the worst hit areas, local
public health funding per head has been slashed by a third since
2015. The party’s health spokesperson Daisy Cooper said it “made
a mockery of levelling up” for the government to be slashing
funding to tackle health inequality, warning that it risked
creating a “ticking time bomb” for the NHS.
Tower Hamlets has seen its public health grant slashed by 33% per
head since 2015/16, more than anywhere else in the country. Other
areas with the biggest cuts per person include Camden (32%),
Coventry (30%), Westminster (30%) and Rutland (27%). Areas that
have had biggest total cuts to their public health grant include
Birmingham, which saw a £22m real-terms cut, Lancashire and Kent
with over £16m each and Essex with over £15m.
The Liberal Democrats will this week pledge to progressively
reinstate the public health grant to 2015 levels, with a
proportion of these funds be set aside for local communities
experiencing the worst health inequalities to co-produce plans on
how the money should be spent. This forms part of a package of
measures to improve community healthcare including better access
to blood pressure tests in local pharmacies and libraries and
designating local authority swimming pools as “critical health
infrastructure.”
The Liberal Democrats said a new “invest to save” approach was
needed to health care that empowers individuals to improve their
own health, reduces pressure on NHS services and ensures
taxpayers’ money is spent effectively. According to one study for
every £1 spent on public health interventions, £14 is returned to
the wider economy.
Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson
said:
“Conservative cuts to local community health grants have created
a ticking time bomb of ill health that could overwhelm our NHS.
Vital schemes to help reduce smoking, tackle obesity, improve
children's health and address drug and alcohol abuse have all
been slashed to the bone.
“To make matters worse, some of our most deprived communities
with the worst health inequalities have seen the largest cuts to
public health funding per person. It makes a mockery of the
government’s levelling up agenda that Conservative cuts have led
to a levelling down on public health.
“The Liberal Democrats would reverse these short-sighted cuts and
invest in empowering local communities and individuals to lead
healthier lives. It is time that the government recognised that
it is far cheaper to prevent ill health than to treat it.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Commons Library analysis on cuts to Public Health Grant funding
per person is available here.
https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/charts-and-infographics/public-health-grant-what-it-is-and-why-greater-investment-is-needed
Study referenced -
Every £1 spent on public health interventions, £14 is returned to
the wider economy.
