Council’s health and well-being role enhanced from April

Shropshire Council’s role in improving the health and well-being of people in the county will be enhanced further from 1 April 2013.

The date marks the transfer of public health work currently undertaken by Shropshire County Primary Care Trust (PCT) and other NHS trusts to the council.

Public health is about services and initiatives to prevent people getting ill.  These include encouraging people aged between 40 and 74 years old to take up the offer of a free health check to prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease, as well as programmes to help people stop smoking and prevent obesity.

The transfer of public health is part of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, which sets out a major reform of the NHS in England.

Another part of the health reforms is the establishment of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). 

Shropshire Council has been working closely with Shropshire County CCG, as well as the PCT and other partners to ensure there is a smooth transfer of responsibilities.

The role of the CCG includes the design and buying of the majority of local hospital and health services.

The council and CCG have established a Health and Well-being Board to co-ordinate their plans for promoting the health and well-being of the population of Shropshire, including overseeing how local NHS and social care budgets are spent. 

The CCG and the board have been operating in shadow form until they take on their statutory role on 1 April 2013.

The council and CCG have also prepared a Joint Health and Well-being Strategy which outlines the long-term vision for health and well-being in the county and identifies the immediate priority areas for action.

Professor Rod Thomson, director of public health for Shropshire, said:

“The council and its partners have welcomed these changes and worked closely together in preparation.

“The council is embracing its increasing responsibilities to protect and promote the health of the people of Shropshire.

“Together partners have looked at ensuring there is as little disruption as possible and how the changes can, in fact, provide opportunities to improve services.  The reforms help us to join up services and build on the council’s already considerable contribution to public health through services such as housing, environmental health and leisure.

“Public health will continue to promote healthy lifestyles and help people who put their health at risk through, amongst other things, the commissioning of stop smoking and weight management clinics, sexual health services and the Health Check programme.

“We will continue to work to strengthen and increase the ways we can help people live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives by supporting people before they get ill, and reducing inequalities in health.”

Anyone in Shropshire who would like information and advice on living a healthy lifestyle can call the Healthy Shropshire helpline on 0345 678 9025.

This number has been set up to provide a single point for people to go to for support with improving their health.  Advisors can help people looking to find out more about how they can be healthier, and prevent themselves or others from getting ill.

For more information about changes to the organisation of health and well-being services and initiatives go to shropshire.gov.uk/publichealth.

For further details on Shropshire CCG visit www.shropshire.nhs.uk/ccg.