Unite oppose move to local government

[Guest guest]

There is a report about CPHVA opposing a move of public health workforce into local government. I didn't that was proposed, so I have obviously missed something. There are clear proposals for the commissioning to be under the 'health and well being boards,' whiuch seems to make sense to me. Pasted below, or see: http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/DNWA-8JTG2Abest wishes The coalition’s plans to move public health workers, including health visitors, from the NHS to local government is ‘misguided and flies in the face of common sense’, Unite, the union, has said.Unite, which embraces the Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association, was commenting on the White Paper Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our strategy for public health in England. Unite national officer for health, Barrie Brown said: ‘The

coalition has flown in the face of common sense with its proposals to move the public health workforce, such as school nurses, health visitors

and public health consultants, from the unified structure of the NHS to

local councils with their myriad ways of working.’ ‘We

believe this will lead to the fragmentation of services which will be detrimental to families, communities and public health priorities.’ ‘Despite

the pledges by ministers that the public health budgets will be ‘ring fenced’ by local councils, we believe that, with all the financial pressures facing cash-strapped authorities, the temptation for councils to dip into this so-called ‘ring fenced’ money will be too great in some

cases.’ ‘We

urged in our submission to the consultation process that the public health workforce remain within the ambit of Public Health England as this would maintain a joined-up service – the proposed local authority model will lead to fragmentation and is misguided.’ ‘It

also goes against the promises public health minister, Anne Milton gave

to the Unite/CPHVA conference last year that health visitors would not be moved to local councils.’ ‘We will be campaigning strongly for the public health workforce to remain within the NHS.’ Cowleysarahcowley183@...http://myprofile.cos.com/S124021COn