Public Health inquiries from office of Diane Abbott MP

The request was successful.

Office of Diane Abbott MP

Good morning,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would be grateful if you would provide me with the following information within 20 working days:

q1: Since the transfer of Public Health to Local Authorities in April 2013 have you been continuously employing a Director of Public Health? If not, please provide explain why you have decided not to employ a Director of Public Health;

q2: If you have employed a Director of Public Health continuously since the transfer of public health to Local Authorities in April 2013, has this been jointly with another local authority? If so please provide the reasons why you decided to share your Director of Public Health with another local authority and confirm the current arrangements for the employment of your Director of Public Health;

q3: Has your Director of Public health been a first-tier officer within your local authority and what has their position been within the executive management structure of your local authority;

q4: on how many occasions since April 2013 have recommendations made formally to your Executive Board by the Director of public health not been approved?

q5: what is your estimate of total funds needed in your area for mental health services and will you provide a full list of all the mental health services you plan to commission from the funds allocated to your local authority for public health for 2016/17 and 2017/18?

q6: what is your estimate of total funds needed in your area for sexual health services and will you provide a full list of all the sexual health services you plan to commission from the funds allocated to your local authority for public health for 2016/17 and 2017/18?

q7: what is your estimate of total funds needed in your area for smoking cessation and will you provide a full list of all the smoking cessation services you plan to commission from the funds allocated to your local authority for public health for 2016/17 and 2017/18?

q8: what is your estimate of total funds needed in your area for Child and Adolescent health services, including those aimed at tackling the growing problem of childhood obesity, and will you provide a full list of child and adolescent services you plan to commission from the funds allocated to your local authority for public health for 2016/17 and 2017/18?

q9: Please provide a full list of all the public health services you anticipate that you will be able to fund from the funds allocated to your local authority for 2016/17 and 2017/18; and do you expect to have adequate resources to meet local need in all of the aforementioned areas of public health?

Kind regards,

Office of Diane Abbott MP

Northumberland County Council

1 Attachment

Our Ref: 1476  

Dear Enquirer,

INFORMATION REQUEST

Thank you for your request for information which will be dealt with under
the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 / Environmental
Information Regulations 2004.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, we
will let you know the likely charges before proceeding.

If you have any queries about this matter please contact us. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Kind regards

Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF

Tel: 0345 600 6400
Email: [Northumberland County Council request email]
Web: http://www.northumberland.gov.uk

Northumberland County Council

1 Attachment

Our Ref: 1476   

Dear Enquirer,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST

I refer to your Freedom of Information request in relation to Public
Health.

Right of Access

Section 1(1) of the Act provides any person making a request for
information to a public authority is entitled.

(a) to be informed in writing by the public authority whether it holds
information of the description specified in the request (which Section
1(6) of the Act designates as the "duty to confirm or deny"), and

(b) if that is the case, to have that information communicated to him.

The right is to obtain access to the information itself and not to the
document or record which contains it.

The Act creates a general right of access to information held by public
authorities subject to various exemptions.

Northumberland County Council confirms that it holds the information you
have requested, please see the (attached/following) information in
response.

Q1 Since the transfer of Public Health to Local Authorities in April 2013
have you been continuously employing a Director of Public Health? If not,
please provide explain why you have decided not to employ a Director of
Public Health;

Answer:  Yes, a substantive or acting Director of Public Health has been
continuously employed by Northumberland County Council since April 2013.  

Q2 If you have employed a Director of Public Health continuously since the
transfer of public health to Local Authorities in April 2013, has this
been jointly with another local authority? If so please provide the
reasons why you decided to share your Director of Public Health with
another local authority and confirm the current arrangements for the
employment of your Director of Public Health;

Answer:  No

Q3 Has your Director of Public health been a first-tier officer within
your local authority and what has their position been within the executive
management structure of your local authority;

Answer: Yes they have been but the current DPH is not a first tier
officer. The DPH reports to the Deputy Chief Executive (also Director of
Wellbeing and Community Health Services).

Q4 On how many occasions since April 2013 have recommendations made
formally to your Executive Board by the Director of public health not been
approved?

Answer: Nil

Q5 What is your estimate of total funds needed in your area for mental
health services and will you provide a full list of all the mental health
services you plan to commission from the funds allocated to your local
authority for public health for 2016/17 and 2017/18?

Answer:It is not possible to estimate the funds for mental health
services, as elements of mental health services are part of larger
commissioned services, such as Specialist Health Improvement, School
Nursing & Healthy Schools.  

Q6: What is your estimate of total funds needed in your area for sexual
health services and will you provide a full list of all the sexual health
services you plan to commission from the funds allocated to your local
authority for public health for 2016/17 and 2017/18?

Answer:  The funding currently allocated to Sexual Health Services for
2016/17 is £2,117,417 and for 2017/18 the sum allocated is £2,027,000  for
each financial year.  This includes the specialist GUM and Contraception
and Sexual Health (CASH) Service, chlamydia screening, GP commissioned
Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) methods, HIV prevention,
sexual health promotion, commissioned community pharmacy services
(emergency hormonal contraception), C Card condom scheme, sexual health
aspects of psychosexual counselling and support for people living with
HIV.

Q7: What is your estimate of total funds needed in your area for smoking
cessation and will you provide a full list of all the smoking cessation
services you plan to commission from the funds allocated to your local
authority for public health for 2016/17 and 2017/18?

Answer:  The funding currently allocated to smoking cessation is £840,480
for financial year 16/17 and £800,682 for financial year 2017/18.  This
includes the specialist stop smoking service, intermediate stop smoking
service, as well as pharmacotherapies.

Q8 What is your estimate of total funds needed in your area for Child and
Adolescent health services, including those aimed at tackling the growing
problem of childhood obesity, and will you provide a full list of child
and adolescent services you plan to commission from the funds allocated to
your local authority for public health for 2016/17 and 2017/18?

Answer:  The funding currently allocated to the 0 -19 Integrated Public
Health Service for financial year 16/17 is £7,484,442 and £6,902,442 for
financial year 17/18.  Services commissioned during 16/17 include the 0-5
(Health Visiting (HV)) and 5-19 (School Nursing) services, specialist
children’s weight management, health promotion for schools, teenage
pregnancy support, a children’s drug and alcohol service, an element of
Children’s Centres activity, hearing screening services and the Family
Nurse Partnership.  We have not yet finalised the plans for the
commissioned service for 17/18

Q9 Please provide a full list of all the public health services you
anticipate that you will be able to fund from the funds allocated to your
local authority for 2016/17 and 2017/18; and do you expect to have
adequate resources to meet local need in all of the aforementioned areas
of public health?

Answer:

0-19 Integrated Public Health Service (formerly the 0-5 Health Visiting
and 5-19 School Nursing services), this service will include SORTED (young
people's substance misuse service), Teenage Pregnancy targeted work and
Healthy Schools Programme and Public Health contribution for Children’s
Centres

Comprehensive open access sexual health service

Enhanced LARC provision in Primary Care

Integrated Community Drug and Alcohol Recovery system for Adults

Supervised Opioid Consumption

Needle Exchange Scheme

Specialist Health Improvement Service

Specialist Stop Smoking Service and Intermediate Stop Smoking Services

Oral Health Promotion Service (not proposed for 17/18)

Children’s Weight Management Service (not proposed for 17/18)

Alcohol Brief Interventions

Fluoridation

NHS Health Check Programme

The reduction in the public health ring fenced grant will result in some
services being delivered in a more targeted way, or at a lower level so
that those with the greatest need across all of the public health
commissioned services can continue to access an appropriate level of
service.  This will mean that some needs may not be met.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been
handled, you can request an internal review by writing within 2 months
from the date of this response to the Information Governance Office:

Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
NE61 2EF

Email: [Northumberland County Council request email]

Information Commissioner

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have a
right by Section 50 of the Act to apply to the Information Commissioner
for a decision as to whether your request has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of the Act at:

The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 01625 545 745
Email: [email address]

There is no charge for making an appeal.

Yours sincerely

FOI Coordinator -
Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF

Tel: 0345 600 6400
Email: [Northumberland County Council request email]
Web: http://www.northumberland.gov.uk