Government delays threaten vital public health services

Ministers are yet to announce public health funding plans for 2023/24 leading to uncertainty and concern that crucial services, which received non-recurrent funding for last year, could be at risk. This includes substance misuse and particularly enhanced drug treatment services for offenders, sexual health service provision for HIV prevention, some aspects of child public health provision and outbreak management.

Adding to this is also the refusal to commit to increasing the grant in line with inflation. This means that additional pressures are passed on to service providers, who have seen costs spiral since over the last few years.

York’s allocation of the Public Health grant has fallen since 2015, with the total confirmed cash reduction amounting to £1.845m till 2020. Even despite the pandemic and inflation pressures, the 2022 allocation of £8.3million still lags behind the £8.4million grant from 2015. These cuts, delays and single year allocations make planning for service resilience more complicated.

Councillor Carol Runciman has hit out at the delays writing to the Health Secretary to urge for the grant to be uplifted in line with inflation and released urgently.

Councillor Carol Runciman, Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care, commented:

“Ministers are once again leaving councils and residents in the dark over the future of the delivery of crucial services. As demand and costs continue to rise, so does the pressure on services and risk of reductions.

“Even if this year’s grant is maintained, following a 24% real terms cut since 2015, it will lead to significant pressures and possible reductions in services as costs and demand continues to skyrocket. This will of course then create further pressures on the NHS.

“Local public health teams are and will be at the forefront of our efforts to tackle health inequalities and the long term mental and physical health effects of Covid. Government’s sporadic approach to the future of such vital services simply adds additional and avoidable risk on services that so many residents rely on.

“These funding figures do not reflect the immense pressures on local public health services. It is truly unfathomable that this Government continues to fail to prioritise public health funding particularly after the pandemic and during an NHS crisis.”