Public Health White Paper
The Department of Health recently published the Public Health White Paper.
Overview
The White Paper outlines the Government's plans for funding of 'public health' to be decentralised and controlled at a local authority level from 2013 onwards. £4bn will be ring-fenced for local authorities to spend on areas within the definition of 'public health'
Background
This paper forms part of the wider Government plans to reform the NHS. The Coalition's ambition is to reform the NHS by devolving power from the centre and commissioning GPs to run their own practices.
Key announcements include the introduction of:
'Public Health England' - a 'dedicated new public health service' sitting within the Department of Health
Directors of Public Health, who will work at a local authority level and lead on the public health offer
A health premium, to reward local authorities for progress against a new outcomes framework. This will take into account health inequalities
Statutory health and well-being boards, bringing together local authorities and health officials.
Relevance to sport
The White Paper contains a number of key themes. These range from mental health, tobacco control, pandemic flu and social marketing through to sexual health and pregnancy.
Of direct relevance to sport are the areas focussing on physical activity and obesity. While there is little detail in the paper at this stage, sport and physical activity are referenced throughout the document as examples of how to improve public health from a health and well-being perspective.
The paper specifically references physical activity initiatives, noting the mass participation legacy, as one part of the public health drive. The Olympic and Paralympic style sports competition is also referenced.
While both of these initiatives are already in the public domain, it is welcome that sport and physical activity feature so predominantly in the paper.
Given the ring-fenced nature of the £4bn budget, sport needs to be included within the definition of 'public health' in order to benefit from funding at a local level. While the definition has not been set, the frequent mentions of sport and physical activity demonstrate that they are on the public health agenda.
Timeframe
This paper forms the first aspect of the public health agenda. During 2011 the Department will publish a range of key documents, building on the White Paper. We expect two papers on obesity and physical activity to be published in spring of 2011.
It should also be noted that there will not be a separate public health bill. Any necessary changes to legislation (such as the decentralisation of funding) will form part of the Health and Social Care Bill, which is expected to be put before parliament before Christmas.
Next Steps
Organisations can respond to the consultation on this paper by March 2011. There will also be forthcoming consultations on the proposed public health outcomes framework, and funding and commissioning arrangements for public health.
The full report can be downloaded from the Department of Health website.
