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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.

"Ensuring people are defined not by the services they receive but by the many factors that make them unique human beings must be at the heart of good social care and support."

“With people living longer, increases in costs and decreases in funding, the system is at breaking point and is ramping up pressures on unpaid carers who are the backbone of the care system."

Cllr Linda Thomas, Vice Chair of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to a new Bill published today on reforms to Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

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."

"“It is good to see NHS England and NHS Improvement’s inclusive approach to developing the Integrated Care System (ICS) design framework. The LGA has been consulted on the scope, tone and content of the document and many of our concerns have been addressed."

"Councils broadly support the Bill’s focus on improving the health and wellbeing of the population and the duty of bodies to have regard to this in making decisions. We are strongly in favour of the duty to engage with patients, carers and representatives and hope and expect that there will be further guidance to help bring this to fruition."

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