Local Government East (LGE) supports the Government’s vision to focus on prevention, strengthen primary and community services, and improve technology which together are crucial to reducing waiting lists, improving access to services, and giving people more control over their health.
LGE welcomes the commitment and investment for new neighbourhood health centres offering services from health and care professionals under one roof. Prioritising these for areas of high deprivation, rural and coastal communities will help address significant health inequalities, like that in the East of England. In the East, coastal communities have a higher rate of physical and mental health conditions, and people die on average 18 years younger in Clacton than in Saffron Walden in the same county of Essex.
Learning from what is already working well in local health and care systems will be important when setting up new services. The ambition to move care out of hospitals and into local communities is not a new one. Many councils are part of neighbourhood health teams, working with the NHS and the voluntary sector, supporting people with issues such as housing, employment and mental health. A neighbourhood health service, rooted strongly in partnership, is critical to understanding and addressing health inequalities.
The financial pressures facing council Children’s Services and Adult Social Care, alongside a shortage in the health and social care workforce, cannot be overlooked. Directing resources and flexible budgets towards the most effective interventions, often services that sit outside the NHS, and instead within public health, housing and social care, will be required to make neighbourhood health services more widespread and sustainable.
The commitment to streamline how councils and the NHS work together and make Integrated Care Boards aligned to strategic authorities “wherever feasibly possible”, will require working in partnership with local leaders to determine what works best in their areas. A more diverse and devolved health service should enable greater autonomy to set local priorities based on population health and care need.
The plans to trial new approaches to pool budgets towards prevention supported by mayoral powers is welcomed. English devolution is a tool for improving health outcomes and consideration must be given to areas without or emerging mayoral strategic authorities in the East of England. Delivering the restructure of Integrated Care Boards at pace, alongside Local Government Reorganisation and England Devolution, requires regional leadership to address the risks and opportunities, supported by funding.
LGE Lead Member for Health and Wellbeing and Leader of Maldon District Council, Cllr Richard Siddall, said “Local Government East supports the government’s 10-year health plan for a more preventative community-based NHS, but more action is needed to address challenges facing social care. Local Government East will work with the government and local leaders, to drive forward these vital changes to support healthier communities in the region.”
