Briefings and responses

The removal of the public health ring-fence is important if we are to take full advantage of the relocation of public health to local government.

"If the Government’s air quality plans and any new local powers are to be successful, they need to be underpinned by local flexibility and sufficient funding which needs to be addressed in the Spending Review. "

Pharmacy staff have the potential to play a critical role in improving the health of deprived communities by offering convenient and equitable access to health improvement services.

The underfunding of adult social care and support sector is impacting on the quality of life of people who have care and support needs. It is also creating a fragile provider market, putting workforce and unpaid family carers under further strain, creating unmet and under-met need and impacting on social care’s ability to help mitigate demand pressures on the NHS.

It is vital that the Government uses the Spending Review and its forthcoming green paper to deliver sustainable funding for social care for the long-term.  

The commissioning and provision of adult social care and support is a vital council service that can transform people’s lives. It is a crucial public service that supports working age disabled adults, older people and their carers, as well as promotes their wellbeing and independence.

Protecting and supporting communities, including the most vulnerable, remains councils’ top priority. Council staff are working 24 hours a day to help delay the virus, minimise the spread of infection and keep people safe and well. Council colleagues are doing an amazing job in hugely challenging circumstances and we pay the highest tribute to their commitment and dedication.

The most recent test and trace figures prove again that councils’ public health teams, with their unique expertise and understanding of their communities, have more success in reaching complex close contacts of positive cases, where NHS Test and Trace has been unable to do so.

Sustainable, long-term investment in councils’ public health services is needed if we are to reverse reductions in life expectancy and tackle health inequalities across the country.

Together with NHS England, local authorities and the LGA have undertaken a range of measures to improve preparedness for winter.