Labour accuses Health Secretary Andrew Lansley of using his public health proposals as a smokescreen to mask a growing crisis in healthcare as a resul

23 Jan 2012
Shadow Public Health Minister Diane Abbott MP said:

‘Labour welcomes handing local authorities new responsibility for public health. In principle, this should make it easier to deal with the social determinants of ill health and issues like obesity. But in practise, these powers are being given at a time of unprecedented financial pressures on local councils. The government has not demonstrated how it can effectively ring fence the money and stop cash-strapped councils from diverting the funds to related issues like social care.

Ms Abbott also suggested that wider social and economic policies will be causing considerable damage to public health, and warned about the threat to early intervention policies like Sure Start:

‘Like so many of this Tory-led Government’s policies, this is reminiscent of the 80s and 90s, with the government standing on the sidelines, blaming people for their lifestyles instead of creating the conditions that enable people to make healthy lifestyle choices. We also know that the grim reality of unemployment and growing poverty is already adversely affecting public health. The Government's own figures reveal that the poorest families are spending a third less on fresh fruit and vegetables. Health professionals in areas like sexual health are worried that, far from improving outcomes, the chaos, confusion and fragmentation caused by the NHS reforms will set public health back.

‘Lansley's claims for his re-organisation of public health are hollow. The truth is that the cuts in public spending overall, and the chaos and confusion caused by the NHS reforms, mean that today's announcement just masks a growing crisis in healthcare. These proposals are dead on arrival.’

--ENDS—

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