News

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to a Royal College of Physicians poll on winter pressures.

"These findings are not unexpected. Despite budget reductions, councils are determined to maintain vital public health services to help people live longer, healthier and happier lives, but the reality is that many local authorities are having to make difficult decisions on these key services, including stopping them altogether."

Cllr Linda Thomas, Vice Chair of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to a report by the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation on an increase in emergency hospital readmissions.

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to the latest Office for National Statistics data showing a record number of deaths caused by alcohol during the first nine months of 2020.

“This report rightly reinforces our call for public health funding reductions to be reversed, in order to help councils protect children’s health and reduce inequalities."

“It is vital that councils are given a key role in coordinating the health and care system, now and in the future. Social care needs to be given parity of esteem with the NHS and any plans to improve pay and rewards to help drive recruitment should focus equally on both."

Responding to the announcement of councils’ public health grant for 2020/21, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Council public health teams are working day and night to support national efforts to minimise the spread of the coronavirus. They are doing a fantastic job in extremely challenging and ever-changing circumstances. “Today’s long-awaited publication by government of public health funding from April will help councils plan how to best help communities cope with this virus outbreak and keep providing other vital public

“Tackling our health inequalities, which have been so starkly exposed during the pandemic, will require significant long-term investment in the public health services which can improve people’s health and wellbeing and reduce future pressure on the NHS. "

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to Public Health England’s Health Profile for England report.

“The progress made in supporting people with HIV, enabling them to live independent, fulfilling lives, and the fact that it is no longer the death sentence it once was, is a major public health success story."