Briefings and responses

We strongly support a preventative, assets-based approach to health, which recognises that the essential components of good health go far beyond NHS treatment and care.  An assets-based approach supports repeople to make healthy choices and enables them to live healthy, independent and productive lives. If they have health and social care needs, our approach is to provide community-based and person-centred care and support which enables them to live independently and live their lives as they choose.

Smoking is the single largest cause of preventable death and the biggest cause of cancer worldwide. As well as impacting upon health, smoking places a significant burden on the public purse, to the tune of £12.6 billion each year.

Loneliness is a problem for people of all ages throughout the life course. It does not just affect older people.

Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of ill health and mortality in England. Councillors and officers recognise the harm that smoking inflicts on their communities and the importance of continuing to drive down smoking prevalence.

The LGA can see the potential benefits of the Care Workforce Pathway for adult social care but, in order to realise them, consideration must be given to the issues raised below. By working together to address these issues, we are hopeful that the pathway can be a success and deliver some of the changes that are needed to bolster this critical workforce.

The LGA has long highlighted that adult social care exists to enable adults of all ages and with a range of conditions to live their best life and an equal life.

It is disappointing that the Public Health Grant allocations for 2023/24 have been published so late (15 March). With two weeks away from the start of the financial year and councils are only just being formally told how much money is being made available for councils to tackle costly public health issues such as sexual health, drug and alcohol services and stop smoking services.

Voter ID is to be introduced in 2023 for the local council elections from 4 May 2023. This briefing includes information and links to resources to help councils reach people with a learning disability and autistic people and other groups of people who may face barriers to voting. This briefing is likely to be of interest to social care staff and providers.

Joint vision from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), NHS Confederation and the LGA on the long-term solutions required to make our health and care system resilient, preventative and promoting independence.