Issue - meetings

1.         That the Council’s public health responsibilities from April 2013 be acknowledged and welcomed.

2.         That the aims and aspirations for public health in Surrey, as set out in the submitted report be agreed.

3.         That the steps set out in the submitted report, that aim to encourage and enable all public agencies in Surrey to take actions to improve the life chances of every resident, be agreed.      

4.         That a programme of communication and engagement with stakeholders including boroughs, districts, communities and the voluntary, community and faith sector, be agreed.

Reason for Decisions

These recommendations are made because:

·        The Council is required to take on its new public health responsibilities, including six mandatory service areas (Annex 1 of the submitted report) from April 2013.

·        The public health team has the expertise to enable the Council to deliver its new responsibilities, working in partnership with other organisations, where appropriate, including Public Health England.

·        The Council needs to make the most of this opportunity for a new way of working and ensure that its policies reflect its role in providing local leadership for public health.

Our partners need to understand how the Council will meet its new responsibilities.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Adult Social Care Select Committee]

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health introduced the report, explaining that following the Health & Social Care Act (2012), local authorities would take on a range of new responsibilities for protecting and promoting the public’s health from April 2013, funded by a ring-fenced grant. This includes the transfer of approximately 60 specialist public health staff from the NHS to local authorities to provide professional leadership for public health. The Surrey public health team relocated to Surrey County Council premises in April 2012 to support the Council in preparing to meet its new responsibilities.

The report outlined:

·         the new public health responsibilities and functions transferring to Surrey County Council

·         an overview of how the function operates, including finance, people and performance.

·         the opportunities, impact and issues for the Council.

He confirmed that redistribution of public health finances was still being finalised. However, it would be set out in the forthcoming Council Budget papers. He also said that working arrangements had been developed with Borough and District Councils and the Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Cabinet Members welcomed the report and the opportunity that the transfer of Public Health to Surrey County Council would have to create a more integrated preventative approach for Surrey residents.

Finally, the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health agreed to attend local committees, if invited and give a similar presentation to them, as had been given to Borough and District Councils.

RESOLVED:

1.         That the Council’s public health responsibilities from April 2013 be acknowledged and welcomed.  

2.         That the aims and aspirations for public health in Surrey, as set out in the submitted report, be agreed.

3.         That the steps set out in the submitted report, that aim to encourage and enable all public agencies in Surrey to take actions to improve the life chances of every resident, be agreed.      

4.       That a programme of communication and engagement with stakeholders including boroughs, districts, communities and the voluntary, community and faith sector, be agreed.

Reasons for Decisions

These recommendations are made because:

·         The Council is required to take on its new public health responsibilities, including six mandatory service areas (see Annex 1 of the submitted report) from April 2013.

·         The public health team has the expertise to enable the Council to deliver its new responsibilities, working in partnership with other organisations, where appropriate, including Public Health England.

·         The Council needs to make the most of this opportunity for a new way of working and ensure that its policies reflect its role in providing local leadership for public health.

Our partners need to understand how the Council will meet its new responsibilities.