A £5.45bn two-year, ring-fenced public health budget for local authorities has been announced as responsibility for taking the lead in improving public health switches from NHS trusts to local authorities on April 1.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that at this would help drive local efforts to improve health and wellbeing in their communities by tackling the wider determinants of poor health.
Building on advice from an independent expert group – the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) – funding is specifically targeted, for the first time, at those areas with the worst health outcomes.
The funding allocations support the Government’s vision of helping people live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives and tackling inequalities in health.
In 2013/14 the total budget for local public health services will be just under £2.7b. In 2014/15 the budget will be just under £2.8 b. Every local authority will receive a real terms increase in funding.
Hunt said that providing a two-year budget would give local authorities a clearer long-term understanding of their future funding as they prepared to take on their new responsibilities.
He added: “Too many people die too early from diseases that can be prevented. I want more people to be able to look forward to an independent and active old age and developing high quality public health services is essential to make this a reality.
“By putting local authorities in charge of public health, we are giving them the power, freedom and the funding to tackle the issues that blight their local areas and help improve the lives of their local communities.
“Improving the health of local people will be at the heart of everything they do – from social care to transport, housing, planning and environment.”
Chief Executive Designate of Public Health England Duncan Selbie, said: “We welcome this investment and look forward to working alongside local government as they take on their new leadership responsibilities for health and wellbeing.”