LGA Annual Public Health report – four years on

A compilation of case studies

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This year's compilation of case studies shows how local authorities continue to make progress on improving health and wellbeing and tackling health inequalities since public health was formally transferred from the NHS in April 2013.

Public health teams, working with a ‘Health in All Policies' approach across councils, are tackling persistent problems like adult and childhood obesity, mental illness, alcohol abuse, sexually transmitted infections and the health impact of isolation and loneliness in old age, as well as addressing some of the serious health inequalities that still exist within and between communities.

Public health could help make this country one where people live healthy lives for longer with less dependence on acute health and care services and a better quality of life, while reducing the public service budget in the long term. We could make the sort of step-change that 19th century public health pioneers made through improved sanitation and housing.

These case studies aim to show just what potential there is for public health, if properly resourced, to make inroads in improving health and wellbeing.