Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

What price public health? Funding the local public health system in England post-2013

Evans, David

Authors

David Evans David9.Evans@uwe.ac.uk
Professor in Health Services Research



Abstract

In April 2013 the local public health function in England was returned from the National Health Service (NHS) to local government, reversing the transfer to the NHS made in 1974 with the abolition of the medical officer of health. Although many in the field had long felt that local government was the appropriate home for public health given its wide-ranging responsibilities for the social determinants of health, the timing was poor. Local government was in the third year of what continued to be an unprecedented ten-year period of austerity imposed by central government with cumulative cuts of the order of 40% for many local authorities. And despite an initial commitment to a ring-fenced public health grant, this grant has been cut each year since 2015–2016 in addition to the wider local authority funding cuts which have had inevitable knock-on effects on the public health function. Crucial public health services such as early years, smoking cessation and sexual health services have all been cut. Despite these cuts the UK government continues to claim a commitment to improving public health and tackling inequalities in health. This study examines the government’s discourse on funding local public health services, and the ways in which it has responded to critics through a detailed documentary analysis of key government white papers, ministerial statements and its responses to criticisms, particularly from parliamentary select committees and professional bodies. The paper concludes by considering the implications for effective local public health action in a national regime of austerity.

Citation

Evans, D. (2021). What price public health? Funding the local public health system in England post-2013. Critical Public Health, 31(4), 429-440. https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2020.1713302

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 4, 2020
Online Publication Date Jan 15, 2020
Publication Date 2021
Deposit Date Apr 1, 2020
Publicly Available Date Jan 16, 2021
Journal Critical Public Health
Print ISSN 0958-1596
Electronic ISSN 1469-3682
Publisher Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 31
Issue 4
Pages 429-440
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2020.1713302
Keywords Public health, environmental and occupational health, England, austerity, funding, local authority
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/5270645
Additional Information Peer Review Statement: The publishing and review policy for this title is described in its Aims & Scope.; Aim & Scope: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=ccph20; Received: 2019-03-31; Accepted: 2020-01-04; Published: 2020-01-15

Files







You might also like



Downloadable Citations