The UK Public Health Association sees sudden and complete withdrawal of government grants

20 Oct 2011
The UK Public Health Association has had to cease operating as an independent organisation due to the complete withdrawal of government grants.

The Association's activities have been transferred to the Faculty of Public Health. It has previously served to bring together public health practitioners, with a particular on focus on eliminating inequalities. The UKPHA will be finally removed from the Companies House Register on 31st October 2011.

Diane Abbott, the Shadow Health Minister, said:

‘It is right that the government looks for ways it can make efficiencies, but what we’re seeing from this government is a large-scale demolition job on the country’s capacity to improve public health and reduce health inequalities. The problem is that this organisation works to bring public health practitioners together, at a time when the government’s health plans are fragmenting and dispersing our current public health workforce. Instead of sideling the country’s public health professionals, the government should be putting in place a long-term strategy to cope with some of the huge public health challenges this country faces.

‘The really worrying thing is that we’re seeing a whole series of bread and butter public services suffering death by constriction. A third of neonatal units in England are reducing their numbers of nurses, anti-obesity programmes and agencies that treat problem drinkers are now standing on the edge of a precipice, and the government has axed programmes like Birth to Five, which gives advice to parents on bringing up their child, such as feeding and immunisation.

‘Andrew Lansley seems to be blinded by his faith in big business. Over 400 senior doctors and public health experts have sounded the alarm about the direction the government is taking the country in. Health groups, schools and families are all crying out for the government to think again.’

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

1) The UKPHA's mission was to reduce health inequalities, fighting anti-health forces and promoting sustainable development
2) The UKPHA is removed from the Companies House Register on 31st October 2011. The UKPHA was withdrawn from the Charity Commissions Register on 30th June 2011.
3) How public health services on the ground are in decline: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/oct/17/nhs-cuts-impact-on-patients-revealed
4) A letter from public health experts: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/oct/03/nhs-bill-doctors-lords
5) NHS funds being moved to richer areas: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14356517
6) See page 68 to show slashed budgets on public health campaigns for this current year 11/12: http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_126449.pdf
7) Criticism of the government’s obesity strategy: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2048738/Jamie-Oliver-blasts-Andrew-Lansleys-plan-tackle-obesity.html
8) Details of Change4Life funding: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10541190 , http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jul/07/andrew-lansley-change4life-obesity and http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/jun/05/healthy-oven-chips-get-government-go-ahead
9) Responsibility deals: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/mar/15/lansley-health-strategy-flounders-refuse
10) Lansley’s refusal to properly ban trans fats: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1291041/They-kill-7-000-people-year-trans-fats-wont-banned.html
11) Two years ago, the Tory Health Secretary, Andrew Lansely, declared that there is ‘no excuse’ for people to be too fat. He has insisted that people claiming biological or environmental causes for their obesity are simply making excuses: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theres-no-excuse-for-being-fat-tory-health-spokesman-declares-909655.html
12) Last week, Lord McColl of Dulwich’s, a former Tory health spokesman told the country that ‘the answer is simply to eat less’ and that ‘by continuing to stress that exercise is the answer, politicians are misleading the public.’: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/3857501/Tory-peer-tells-British-fatties-to-brjust-eat-less.html
13) This week, Lord Lawson said that the government shouldn’t bother to tackle obesity: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15376896

For more info, please contact Gabe Trodd on 0207 219 4426.

back ⇢