Agenda item

-        Director of Public Health to report.

Councillor Wyatt, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, introduced a report by the Director of Public Health, which stated that, as part of the Government’s changes to the NHS set out in the Health and Social Care Bill, Public Health responsibilities were moving to Local Authorities from April, 2013.

The report described and set out these changes, statutory responsibilities and a transition plan to support this move.  The Government was aiming to establish a new Public Health service through Public Health England (PHE) and Local Authority Public Health departments.  Its aim was to embed Public Health as a core responsibility throughout Local Government.  The budgetary implications of this were not yet fully clear, but it was anticipated that the service would be fully funded by the ring-fenced Public Health grant from the Department of Health to Local Authorities and would be at no cost to the local rate payer.

The transfer of responsibility from Public Health from the National Health Service to Councils would lead to a greater impact being had on the root causes of ill health, and so improve health for the people of Rotherham.  At the same time it would be important to ensure that strong links remained between specialist public health functions and the commissioning of health services, so as to ensure they best fitted the needs of Rotherham people.

The biggest Public Health gain to be obtained from the new arrangements would be realised if Public Health influenced everything the Council did, so that the whole organisation became a public health driven organisation, and every contact that the Council had with the people of Rotherham helped to promote health and wellbeing.

Transition would be in two phases: shadow form from April, 2012 to full transition in April, 2013.

Dr. John Radford, Joint Director of Public Health, made reference to the budgetary provision that would be would be taken from the National Health Service and allocated to Local Authorities.  The final details of the financial allocations for local areas had been delayed nationally and was now not expected until June, 2012.  The Public Health function within the Council would be funded from this and at no cost to the local rate payer.

Reference was also made to the model Memorandum of Understanding which established the framework for the provision of Public Health advice to NHS commissioning in Rotherham.

Resolved:-  (1) That  the proposed new powers and statutory responsibilities with respect to the Health and Social Care Bill (subject to passage) be noted.

(2) That the Public Health transition plan which sets out assurances that the Council would meet these new powers and responsibilities be supported.

(3) That the Memorandum of Understanding regarding provision of Public Health advice to NHS commissioning in Rotherham by the Clinical Commissioning Group be supported. In the Transition year this would be an agreement between NHS Rotherham and the Clinical Commissioning Group.

(4) That the proposed health and wellbeing priorities and indicators set out in the Public Health Outcomes Framework giving an indication of the extent of the new responsibilities be supported.