FPH President comments on public health budget cuts

Today, the Minister for Public Health Steve Brine confirmed public health budgets for 2019/2020. This means that in the financial year ending in 2020, the public health grant will fall from £3.2 billion to £3.1 billion.

In response to these planned cuts, Prof John Middleton, President of the UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH), said: “FPH members working in local public health teams have done a remarkable job coping with dwindling public health budgets while still maintaining a high standard of services. However, they have very clearly indicated that they have reached the absolute limit of the savings they can make without adversely impacting the health of their residents.

“Our members are now telling us that they need dedicated investment to meet the needs of our growing, changing, and ageing population and reduce health inequalities for future generations. That’s why FPH is calling on the government to invest in a Prevention Transformation Fund worth £1-2 billion per year to support the upgrading of prevention in local authorities in next year’s Spending Review.

“Local authorities have enormous potential to improve the public’s health, but they need dedicated funding that will allow them to spend their resource in a way that will best meet local needs and that will not be diverted towards other more immediate priorities.

“While these planned budget cuts are disappointing, the public health community now needs to unite in looking towards the future. Next year will undoubtedly be a pivotal year for the public’s health and the prevention agenda and we look forward to working with our members and other partners to make the most of these opportunities.”

END

Click here to read the public health grant circular.

About the UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH)

FPH is a membership organisation for 4,000 public health professionals from across the UK and around the world, and is a registered charity. Our role is to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities and national populations. We support the training of public health professionals and campaign to improve health policy in partnership with local and national governments.

For further information, please contact:

Haidee O’Donnell
Senior media & comms officer
Tel: 020 3696 1478
Email: haideeodonnell@fph.org.uk