2 December 2010
On 30 November 2010, the Government published plans for a new approach to tackling today's causes of premature death and illness and to reduce health inequalities. There will also be a dedicated public health service - called Public Health England - to make it happen.
Public Health England aims to give more power to local people over their health, whilst keeping a firm national grip on crucial population-wide issues such as flu pandemics.
The plans are included in a White Paper called
Healthy Lives, Healthy People. The paper also sets out how funding from the overall NHS budget will be ring-fenced for spending on public health - a recognition that prevention is better than cure. Early estimates suggest that current spend on areas that are likely to be the responsibility of Public Health England could be in the range of £4 billion.
The Government is consulting on some of the proposals in Healthy Lives, Healthy People. For more information, or to comment on the consultation,
visit the Department of Health website. The closing date for the consultation is 8 March 2011.
