UK government slammed over failure to increase spending on prevention.

Posted: Wed, 02 Aug 2023 17:30

UK government slammed over failure to increase spending on prevention.

The Hewitt Review: an independent review of integrated care systems (ICS), published earlier this year, made a recommendation to increase the proportion of public resources spent on prevention.

The review – led by former Labour health secretary, Patricia Hewitt – set out to consider the oversight and governance of the ICS network.

In the report, Hewitt said: "I recommend the share of total NHS budgets at ICS level going towards prevention should be increased by at least 1 per cent over the next five years.

"Given the constraints on the nation's finances, this is my most challenging recommendation," she said, "but an ambition of this kind is essential if we are to avoid simply another round of rhetorical commitment to prevention."

Now, in its response to the Hewitt Review, the UK's Department of Health and Social Care said: "The government agrees that... the focus for the NHS should increasingly shift towards implementing evidence-based interventions to help improve prevention and support healthier life expectancy, however, we do not agree with imposing a national expectation of an "essentially arbitrary" shift in spending.

The government has instead committed to a review of methodology for "developing definitions for preventative healthcare spending" and also to "exploring options for local baselining".

To find out what this means for the state of the healthcare system and for the health of the nation follow the link below:

https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/news/news/351575&email=johnoxley63@icloud.com&pub=LOe&date=230725

Tags: Funding, Health, Physical Activity, Policy, Sport