Warning on public health budgets ignored

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 7th Aug 2006

A short-term strategy will lead to increased costs for the NHS in the future

Sheffield Liberal Democrats have warned the Government not to plunder public health budgets in order to prop up other health budgets. However, the councils Health and Community Care board voted to ignore the warning.

The board, which has a majority of Labour councilors sitting on it, where considering a report which looked into the finances of the local NHS. Members on the board voted against Lib Dem Cllr Auckland's recommendation regarding the financial pressure placed on public health budgets.

The resolution, moved by Cllr Ian Auckland, raised concern that investment for preventative care and tackling health inequalities is being diverted into mainstream NHS budgets to shore up deficits.

Lib Dems believe that the move away from preventative care is a short-term strategy which will lead to increased costs of the NHS in the future. They are criticising Government policy for imposing centralised targets and stacking problems up for the future.

Councillor Ian Auckland, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet member for Health, said: -

"I'm disappointed that all members of the board couldn't support our motion which sought to recognise the squeeze being put on preventative care and health inequality budgets. We believe that the apparent reduction of preventative care will lead to increased pressure on the NHS in the future"

"It's time that Labour spoke up for Sheffield publicly to fight for investment and real service improvement. The situation in social services is serious, yet Labour in Sheffield refuse to stand up to their own Government on this issue"

See copy of the report considered by the board at: -

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/council-meetings/scrutiny/health-and-community-care/agenda-17-july-2006/health-service-finances

See copy of resolution moved at the Health and Community Care Scrutiny Board today

That this board

(a) thanks staff of the Sheffield NHS Community for their hard work and their continued focus on delivering a good service during this time of uncertainty within the NHS;

(b) welcomes genuine measures to obtain better value for money and improved patient outcomes but understands this has been jeopardised by centralised Government policy;

(c) believes that locally set service and clinical priorities should have precedence over national priorities as the local health service workers and patients know what's best for the local areas health needs;

(d) is concerned that public health money is not being used for the purpose intended, instead shoring up other budget deficits, which is diverting funding from preventative care and from tackling health inequalities, and therefore believes that this type of short-term financial management is not in the long term health interests of Sheffield and its citizens;

(e) notes that central Government policy, which is centrally driven rather than based on local needs, not management weakness is the real cause of financial difficulties in the local Health Service and regrets the management of the Sheffield PCT's were labelled by Government as "failing";

(f) is especially alarmed at proposed economies in social care which represents a huge risk to the delivery of social care to Sheffield residents and a significant financial risk to the Council;

(g) does not support the use of public health budgets to deal with other financial difficulties and supports our local NHS in these difficult times, furthermore regrets that central policy is at the heart of causing both financial and organisational difficulty at a local level;

(h) requests a further report is brought to this board in six months time.