Press release: NHS Confederation, LGA and Faculty of Public Health respond to the Wanless Report
25 Feb 2004
The NHS Confederation, the Local Government Association and the Faculty of Public Health today welcomed the Wanless report, Securing Good Health for the Whole Population, but urged the Government to urgently shift the focus of the NHS to prevention.
Gill Morgan, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, said: "The Wanless report is a timely intervention in the debate about how to improve the national health. However, the Wanless vision will not be achieved if public health targets are crowded out by hospital waiting lists. This is not a task for the NHS alone but requires concerted action across government. If we are serious about public health we need measures that reflect real health gain and not just hospital admission.'
Professor Sian Griffiths, President of the Faculty of Public Health, said: 'We warmly welcome this report and feel that it will be useful in shaping the White Paper discussion. There is a need for a balance between government regulation and individual responsibility. Emphasis needs to be placed on achieving this balance to avoid victim blaming. As the report indicates, many of the issues it raises have been made before - now is the time to act. The Faculty of Public Health is happy to ensure that public health specialists engage in the debate and play their role. But to do this they need sustained support and a framework for action, as suggested in the report. We welcome the recommendations about workforce development and on the need for more research into what works and on how to implement what we know already.'
Sir Jeremy Beecham, LGA chair, said: 'The LGA fully supports the Wanless team's recommendation of a national public health workforce plan, but strongly believes this needs to draw on the knowledge and experience of staff from across the public and voluntary sectors as well as trained doctors and clinicians.
'Bringing together a wider range of skills could play a crucial role in changing public attitudes to health and encouraging people to change their lifestyles for the better. It would also help to relieve growing pressure on traditional NHS services and GPs.
'Local councils have a key role to play in reducing health inequalities. As well as being one of the largest employers in the country, local authorities are responsible for delivering services that have a major impact on people's health - housing, education, social services and the local environment. As community leaders, councils are ideally placed to work together with partners to make a real difference to local communities and help stamp out health inequalities.'
Notes for editors
- The Local Government Association, the NHS Confederation and the Faculty of Public Health will work together to draw up a detailed joint response to the Wanless report.
- The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) sets and maintains professional standards in public health practice. The Faculty works to improve the public's health through its three key areas of activity: professional affairs, education and standards and advocacy and policy contribution. For more information visit our website www.fph.org.uk
- The NHS Confederation represents the organisations that make up the NHS. Our ordinary members include the majority of NHS trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; trusts and NHS boards in Scotland; and health and social service trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.
- As the national voice for local communities, the Local Government Association represents nearly 500 local authorities in England and Wales, who in turn work for over 50 million people and spend £65 billion a year on local services.
Contact details
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