Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Deferred
Paragraph: 39
Integrated Care Boards need public health representation; DHSC review required for mandating inclusion.
Conclusion
To guarantee a continual focus on the prevention agenda, all Integrated Care Boards should ensure they include a public health representative, such as a public health director or public health lead. In 12 months, DHSC should conduct a review to understand the extent to which this is happening. If necessary, further steps should be taken to mandate the inclusion of a public health representative so the focus on prevention is not lost.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government deflected from mandating public health representation on ICBs by suggesting that a national peer review offer should be developed by partners within the system.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
39
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
We agree that there should be a continual focus on the prevention agenda. ICBs are expected to ensure that directors of public health and their teams have defined positions at an ICS and place level, ensuring that ICB decision-making is made with public health input to take account of joint local health and wellbeing strategies in which the directors of public health have a key role in the design and/or sponsorship. While public health is and should remain a crucial role of local government, and may have been included through the recruitment of partner members on ICB boards, systems have the autonomy to appoint members based on their area’s priorities. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide a public health advice service to ICBs to inform effective commissioning of healthcare and related matters (as required by regulations under section 6C of the NHS Act 2006). ICBs have a parallel duty to seek advice from appropriate persons on prevention and public health (under new section 14Z38 of the NHS Act 2006). Guidance for ICBs on delivering a quality public health function has been issued by NHS England, in partnership with the Faculty of Public Health, the Association of Directors of Public Health and the LGA , which strongly emphasises the need to work in close partnership with directors of public health and their teams. The Health and Care Act 2022 sets out minimum membership requirement of the ICB boards that include members from NHS trusts, primary care and local authorities. However, the local areas can, by local agreement, go beyond the legislative minimum requirements to address their local needs. It is important to grant ICSs the freedom to create the architecture and governance for their ICP and ICB that enables them to best serve their population.
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