Select Committee · Health and Social Care Committee

Prevention in health and social care

Status: Closed Opened: 18 Jan 2023 Closed: 30 May 2024 14 recommendations 11 conclusions 2 reports

The Health and Social Care Committee has announced ten themes to be examined in its major new inquiry into preventing ill-health. The subjects, ranging from early years and childhood to alcohol and gambling, were chosen after MPs received more than 600 submissions from researchers and organisations involved in preventative healthcare. The inquiry will examine social …

Clear

Reports

2 reports
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - Prevention in health and social care: health… HC 484 19 Jan 2024 15 Responded
Tenth Report - Prevention in health and social care: vaccin… HC 1764 27 Jul 2023 10 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
10 Recommendation First Report - Prevention in health and… Rejected

Make OHID a statutory consultee for all new large housing developments.

We recommend that OHID be made a statutory consultee for new large housing developments, building on role already accorded to Active Travel England in supporting inclusive, effective and health-protecting development.

Government response. The government rejects the recommendation to make OHID a statutory consultee for new housing developments, citing concerns about justifying new consultees, slowing down the application process, and value for money, and states it is not currently extending the list of …
Department of Health and Social Care
11 Conclusion First Report - Prevention in health and… Rejected

GPs lack confidence in social prescribing, leading to underutilisation for underserved groups.

Frontline health and social care staff do not only deal with immediate medical needs. People also present to the health service with issues that relate to unmet social needs, which can in turn, over time, develop into medical needs. Increased use of social prescribing can both relieve pressure on clinical …

Government response. The government declines the recommendation, stating that national ambitions for the delivery of social prescribing have been set out in the NHS Long Term Plan and that social prescribing has grown significantly across England since 2019, exceeding NHS Long Term …
Department of Health and Social Care
12 Recommendation First Report - Prevention in health and… Rejected

Establish national social prescribing strategy to improve practitioner confidence and youth engagement.

We recommend DHSC work with NHS England and existing networks and providers to develop a national strategy for social prescribing. This should aim to improve understanding amongst frontline clinical practitioners of the benefits of social prescribing and to improve their confidence in offering social and community-based solutions to unmet social …

Government response. The government rejects the recommendation for a new national social prescribing strategy, stating that national ambitions are already set in the NHS Long Term Plan, significant progress has been made, and existing guidance provides strategic direction for its integration into …
Department of Health and Social Care
14 Recommendation First Report - Prevention in health and… Rejected

Reconsider mandating public health representatives on Integrated Care Boards to prioritise prevention

We have previously recommended that all ICBs should include a public health representative, such as a public health director, and that DHSC considers making this a mandatory requirement. In response, the Department said it agreed that prevention needs to be a priority, but emphasised the importance of protecting ICS autonomy. …

Government response. The government rejects the recommendation to reconsider mandating public health representatives on ICBs, stating it has no plans to alter the Health and Care Act 2022 and emphasizing ICB autonomy and existing duties for local authorities to provide public health …
Department of Health and Social Care

Oral evidence sessions

9 sessions
Date Witnesses
20 May 2024 Adrian Chiles, TV presenter and author of The Good Drinker, Ailsa Rutter OBE · Fresh and Balance, Alice Wiseman · Association of Directors of Public Health, Sir Ian Gilmore · Alcohol Health Alliance View ↗
6 Feb 2024 Andy Tighe · The British Beer and Pub Association, Asma Khalil · The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), Hazel Cheeseman · Action Against Smoking, Karen Tyrell · Drinkaware, Matt Lambert · The Portman Group, Professor Peter Hajek · Wolfson Institute of Population Health Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry Queen Mary University of London, Sandra Ionno Butcher · The National Organisation for FASD View ↗
5 Feb 2024 Professor Javed Khan OBE · Equi View ↗
18 Oct 2023 Chris Naylor · The King's Fund, Dr Mark Green · University of Liverpool, Julia Thrift · Town and Country Planning Association, Simon Reeve · Office for Health Improvement and Disparities View ↗
5 Sep 2023 David Finch · The Health Foundation, Dr Henry Burridge · Imperial College London, Dr Jill Stewart · University of Greenwich, Helen Garrett · Building Research Establishment View ↗
11 Jul 2023 Chris Boardman · Active Travel England, Mark Lawrie · StreetGames, Tom Hollingsworth · Sport England View ↗
23 May 2023 Dr Nikki Kanani · NHS England, Maria Caulfield · Department of Health and Social Care View ↗
18 Apr 2023 Ben Lucas · The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), Doctor Mary Ramsay · UK Health Security Agency, Professor Dame Jenny Harries · UK Health Security Agency, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard · Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, Rebecca Catterick · Sanofi Vaccines UK & Ireland, Stuart Carroll · Moderna View ↗
21 Feb 2023 Dr Jeanelle De Gruchy, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England · Department for Health and Social Care, Jonathan Marron · Department for Health and Social Care, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England View ↗

Correspondence

4 letters
DateDirectionTitle
18 Oct 2023 Correspondence from the Secretary of State, Steve Barclay MP, on a Smokfree Gen…
18 Oct 2023 Correspondence from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Neil O' Brien M…
18 Oct 2023 Correspondence from Diabetes UK on consideration of obesity in the prevention i…
5 Sep 2023 Correspondence from the Chief Executive of Sport England, Tim Hollingsworth fol…