Sustainable funding and better integration with health services enable councils to continue to support people to live safe, healthy, active, independent lives and to promote wellbeing and resilience for all ages.
SDG 3 - Good health and wellbeing
Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
Councils secure sufficient resources to deliver effective, integrated social care services – we will:
- continue to lobby for the short, medium and long-term financial sustainability of adult social care and support, arguing that all options, including national taxation, should be considered
- work with government to agree a sustainable, long term funding deal for public health
- press for an independent review of adult social care pay and full funding for subsequent changes.
Councils lead the debate on the future vision for health and social care – we will:
- promote a clear vision of councils’ role in planning and delivering integrated health and care; continue to promote health and wellbeing boards as leaders of health and care and support councils and their partners to develop and deliver place-based person-centred support
- continue to press for a long-term policy framework for the Better Care Fund (BCF), with lighter touch reporting and greater emphasis on local targets
- continue to lobby for councils and councillors to have a key role in sustainability and transformation partnerships, integrated care systems and wider NHS planning arrangements.
Councils support older people, disabled people and people in vulnerable circumstances – we will:
- support councils to tackle the challenges and exploit the opportunities of a population with increasingly complex needs, including improving dementia and mental health services, carers’ support and support for those with autism and/or learning difficulties
- continue to support councils to deliver the Armed Forces Community Covenant.
We will promote a clear vision of councils’ role in planning and delivering integrated health and care; continue to promote health and wellbeing boards as leaders of health and care and support councils and their partners to develop and deliver place-based person-centred support.
Councils work actively with the NHS to build health and care services around the needs of local populations – we will:
- work with NHSEI and other national partners to ensure that councils and health and wellbeing boards, are meaningfully engaged in developing integrated care systems and their implementation plans
- work with national partners to increase the understanding of, and commitment to, planning and delivery at place level and the leadership role of councils
- support councils to work with the NHS and other partners to ensure that implementation plans build on existing priorities to improve health and wellbeing and are subject to democratic oversight and scrutiny
- work with the NHS to manage the pandemic, learning the lessons and promoting local accountability and closer working through the NHS bill and wider work.
Councils have a central role in promoting health and wellbeing locally – we will:
- work to strengthen the position of councils as public health leaders
- continue to make the case for long-term financial sustainability of public health services and support councils to understand the importance of preventative approaches
- work with the NHS and partners to develop a system-wide approach to public health workforce planning and address urgent staffing issues in children’s public health
- lobby for long-term sustainable funding for leisure, culture and park services which play an important part in people’s physical health and mental wellbeing and tackling health inequalities.
