Cllr Andy Morgan supports Public Health Consultation

Conservatives today launch a three month consultation paper on public health. Key proposals include renaming the Health Secretary the Public Health Secretary. Local and regional public health directors, it’s proposed, will be given their own budgets to combat the worsening picture of obesity, sexual health and alcohol abuse.

 In 1999, the Government abandoned the targets set by the last Conservative Government’s first ever public health White Paper, published in 1992, to reduce rates of obesity in the general population to 6 per cent amongst men and 8 per cent amongst women. Obesity rates currently stand at 23.6 per cent amongst men and 23.8 per cent amongst women.

Between 1997 and 2005, cases of syphilis increased by 1653.7 per cent, cases of gonorrhoea increased by 44.2 per cent, cases of Chlamydia increased by 147.7 per cent, cases of herpes increased by 16.6 per cent, cases of genital warts increased by 17.2 per cent, and cases of HIV increased by 111.0 per cent.
Since 1997, the number of alcohol-related deaths has increased by 40 per cent.

A Conservative Government would reverse the fragmentation and lack of accountability in public health policy which has plagued Labour’s approach.

  • A new structure for public health – allowing local directors of public health to determine how funding for public health services would be spent.
  • Independent public health budgets – they will be independent to ensure that they are spent on preventative measures to improve public health without being raided to support hospitals in deficit.
  • A strengthened Chief Medical Officer’s Department – made more independent of ministers, the Department would advise the renamed Secretary of State for Public Health.

Supporting the initiative Cllr Andy Morgan, Chairman of Bolton Councils Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee said "A transformation in Britain's approach to public health is needed in order to improve general health and wellbeing.  Public health is everyone's responsibility, not just a state responsibility. Labour has failed to respond to public health challenges like the rise in obesity, sexually transmitted disease and alcohol abuse."

"We need a Government which provides the right legislative and administrative framework for the delivery of public health services at the grass roots level.  That's why we are launching a consultation to improve on the statutory role in tackling public health challenges. Action needs to be taken now in order to secure the long-term sustainability of the NHS.”