Responding to the Public Health White Paper published today by the Department of Health, Sir Richard Thompson, president of the Royal College of Physicians said:
The white paper gives a clear overview of how this government plans to improve public health, and is to be welcomed for attempting to bring to the field a much needed strategic focus and coherence. However, the RCP is disappointed by the lack of detail, especially around how to deal with the threats posed by alcohol misuse, obesity and smoking. We wait keenly to see if the promised subsequent strategies will fill in the gaps.
On the new public health service (PHS)
The RCP welcomes the government’s proposals to put public health on a more secure footing. Long term, the future of the NHS can only be guaranteed if we become more effective at preventing ill health. A ring fenced budget, robust workforce development plans and a challenging outcomes framework will do much to change perceptions of public health, and greatly increase the capacity of its workforce to make a difference. However public health is highly contingent on external factors. A difficult economy and less money for public services will make it a more challenging environment both in terms of managing the inevitably greater demand for public health programmes, and then in leveraging whatever community resources remain to meet them.
On minimal interventions where appropriate:
We agree that if they achieve good results it makes sense to adopt less burdensome regulations where possible. However, on a whole raft of issues it has been clearly demonstrated that a laissez faire attitude does not work, either in terms of promoting responsible behaviour among the manufacturers and retailers of potentially harmful products or in creating an environment that would allow individuals to make healthier choices.
It took the last government at least 6 years to recognise this and then gather the political courage to start tackling some of the deeper seated problems with robust, population wide, policies. It would be a great shame if the new government were to take just as long to reach similar conclusions, whilst in the interim more people become ill.
- For a comprehensive overview of the RCP’s policy priorities, you can download the RCP's Leading for quality document below.