Underinvestment in Primary Prevention
Lack of ringfenced government funding for primary prevention initiatives, leading to reactive rather than proactive approaches.
Source spread
Where this theme appears
This theme appears across 12 independent accountability sources, so the source mix matters as much as the headline total.
1 inquiry rec
9 PFD reports
95 committee recs
1 HSSIB rec
1 CQC action
4 NAO recs
1 Scottish FAI
6 DHR recs
2 LGO/SPSO decisions
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Prevention of Future Deaths reports(9)
Philip Dean
Concerns: The coroner noted insufficient funding and under-resourcing of the Home Treatment Team and Liaison Psychiatry, which affected continuity of care, accurate patient assessments, and the availability of qualified staff for section recommendations. Gaps were also identified in recording pertinent information and providing interim patient support.
Response: • The Trust allocated £214,000 to the Home Treatment Team (HTT) to fund nursing posts, and recruitment has commenced. • The Trust will commence a pilot for designated workers in … (AI summary)
Overdue
Kate Dolby
Concerns: The coroner is concerned about insufficient funding for mental health services, particularly for the Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) team, leading to a shortage of doctors. This results in significant workload and waiting list issues, with concerns remaining regarding funding for additional medics.
Overdue
Michael Cooper
Concerns: The coroner identified a lack of inpatient mental health beds, leading to delayed admission. Concerns were also raised about delays in Care Programme Approach appointments and excessive Care Co-ordinator caseloads, which impact risk assessment and patient support.
Response (NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB): • The CCG stated it had provided additional investment in mental health services, including £4.611 million for BSMHFT and £6.235 million for FTB in 2017/18, with further investment in 2018/19. … (AI summary)
Response (NHS England): • The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) provided additional investment in mental health services in 2017/18 and 2018/19, and made funding available for an extra 32 mental health beds. • A … (AI summary)
Responded
Bradley Morgan
Concerns: The coroner noted a communication breakdown between mental health teams led to a patient not receiving follow-up care. Concerns were raised that high staff caseloads and chronic underfunding of mental health services continue to pose a risk.
Response (NHS England): • The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) provided additional investment in mental health services in 2017/18 and 2018/19. • A Quality Improvement Board was established, and a governance framework was put … (AI summary)
Response (NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB): • The CCG committed to reviewing its serious incident reporting policy and operational processes to strengthen quality assurance. • It stated it would work with partners to address staff recruitment … (AI summary)
Responded
Michael Wheeler
Concerns: Mr. Wheeler was not reviewed by a psychiatrist despite family concerns regarding his paranoia, leading to no diagnosis or treatment plan. The report also highlights a lack of inpatient mental health beds and excessive demand on Home Treatment Teams, potentially linked to underfunding.
Response (NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB): • The CCG provided additional investment in mental health services in 2017/18 and 2018/19, exceeding national growth standards. • The CCG commissioned independent reviews and system modelling to understand and … (AI summary)
Response (NHS England): • The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) provided additional investment in mental health services in 2017/18 and 2018/19. • An oversight group involving all stakeholders will be established, and a governance … (AI summary)
Responded
Stephen Jackson
Concerns: The coroner noted Mr. Jackson was not seen by mental health clinicians despite an urgent GP request. This case, along with others, highlights concerns that under-funding of mental health services by two trusts risks future deaths.
Response (NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB): • The Integrated Care Board (ICB) stated that it was unable to identify a correlation between funding and the deaths, noting that Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust … (AI summary)
Response (NHS England): • The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) provided additional investment in mental health services in 2017/18 and 2018/19, and made funding available for an additional 32 mental health beds. • An … (AI summary)
Responded
William Edge
Concerns: The coroner raised concerns that the Home Treatment Team could not revisit a patient in imminent danger due to high demand, exacerbated by inpatient bed capacity issues that divert more patients to HTT management.
Response (NHS England): • The Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) established a Quality Improvement Board and a governance framework to oversee CQC improvement plans and manage quality. • The CCG provided … (AI summary)
Response (NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB): • The CCG increased investment in mental health services and commissioned independent reviews of system capacity and patient journeys. • The CCG committed to a comprehensive review of its serious … (AI summary)
Responded
Mohan Acharya
Concerns: The coroner noted that emergency department crowding is associated with increased mortality among admitted patients, with approximately 500 deaths per year attributed to overcrowded emergency departments.
Response (the Department of Health and Social Care): • The Department stated that part of the £1.6 billion additional funding received by the NHS in 2018/19 had been used to deliver improvements. • The Government provided £145 million … (AI summary)
Responded
Maeve Boothby O’Neill
Concerns: The coroner noted a lack of specialist healthcare provision and commissioned services in England for patients with severe ME, alongside insufficient funding for ME/CFS research and limited medical training. Furthermore, 2021 NICE guidelines provide no detailed guidance on managing severe ME at home or in the community.
Response (NHS England): • NHS England stated it would support the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in implementing a final ME/CFS Delivery Plan, intended for publication by March 2025. • NHS … (AI summary)
Response (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence): • NICE will review evidence on dietary management and strategies for people with severe or very severe ME/CFS to determine if specific guideline amendments are needed. • NICE will work … (AI summary)
Response (MSC): • The Medical Schools Council (MSC) reported that the General Medical Council's (GMC) new national licensing exam for 2024/2025 includes Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in its Content Map. • The MSC … (AI summary)
Response (DHSC and NIHR): • The DHSC, through NIHR, has invested over £3.6 million in ME/CFS research over the last five years and stated it would continue to identify opportunities to increase research. • … (AI summary)
Response (MRC): • The Medical Research Council (MRC) has invested £3.6m in research addressing Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) since 2019. • The MRC maintains an open highlight notice to encourage ME/CFS … (AI summary)
Overdue
Select committee recommendations(95)— showing 50 strongest matches
#8 —
Recommendation: Preventing and reducing waste at all stages in the food chain should be a central component of the Government’s food strategy, as this is a quick-win compared to other actions to maintain food security in the face of environmental change. …
Response attribution not verified
#45 —
Recommendation: The Government should provide an update on progress in the prevention and reduction of residential, commercial, and institutional organic waste generation. This could include further upstream interventions to tackle food waste and packaging waste, if the cost is proportionate.
Response attribution not verified
#44 —
Recommendation: An important pre-requisite for reducing methane emissions from the waste sector is the reduction of organic waste that will decompose to generate methane; this has many co-benefits. Reducing food waste not only reduces methane emissions as the waste decomposes, but …
Response attribution not verified
#34 —
Recommendation: Throughout our inquiry we have seen examples where time and time again policy that has been designed to protect and improve children’s health and the health of the population is delayed or diluted in the face of threats from the …
Response status not verified
#33 —
Recommendation: A more strategic and holistic view of food policy that seeks to improve the healthiness of food and the food environment is needed. The government should either extend the scope of existing regulation or create new regulation to ensure that …
Response status not verified
#32 —
Recommendation: The current regulatory framework does not create a level playing field across all settings where food is purchased, largely ignores the out-of-home sector, has a blind spot around delivery apps and is littered with loopholes that ultimately undermine the intended …
Response status not verified
#31 —
Recommendation: The Food Standards Agency’s role should be expanded to cover the healthiness of food, as well as food safety. It should report to Parliament on progress towards healthier food production and on meeting targets for healthy food sales. This expanded …
Response status not verified
#30 —
Recommendation: The government needs to build and fund a more robust enforcement regime for existing and upcoming regulation, which should include: a. improved, ring-fenced funding and an improved training offer for local authority trading standards and environmental health teams to improve …
Response status not verified
#29 —
Recommendation: We are concerned by the lack of enforcement of policies and recommend the government review the extent to which its policies are being enforced and, in its response to us, set out detail on resources available for enforcement. (Recommendation, Paragraph …
Response status not verified
#28 —
Recommendation: Policies to support a reduction in the consumption of HFSS foods stand no chance of success if they are not strongly enforced. Businesses need to be clear that there will be consequence for failing to meet their legal requirements to …
Response status not verified
#27 —
Recommendation: The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 should be updated no later than January 2027 to: a. include a requirement to place fruits and vegetables in prominent instore locations like checkouts and store entrances; and b. extend the definition …
Response status not verified
#26 —
Recommendation: It is concerning that HFSS foods continue to feature prominently on pages on retailer websites that are not covered by existing regulations, particularly special offers pages. We know that price is a driver of shopping habits and so believe that …
Response status not verified
#25 —
Recommendation: Existing regulation could be better used to play a more active role in building healthier retail environments. While we are encouraged that changing shop layouts is one of the government’s suggested ways of achieving healthier sales, given there will likely …
Response status not verified
#24 —
Recommendation: A holistic, consistent and watertight approach to restricting the exposure of children to all HFSS advertising needs to be developed. It should include: 56 a. bringing brand and range advertising into the scope of existing regulations as soon as possible …
Response status not verified
#23 —
Recommendation: On a local level, some local authorities are working hard to improve their own food environment through bans to outdoor advertising, but they are severely limited due to only being able to target council-owned assets. To ensure a consistent approach, …
Response status not verified
#22 —
Recommendation: Advertising methods are changing quickly, with the rising prominence of social media advertising, digital advertising, sport sponsorship, online gaming and direct marketing through app notification. Existing regulations do not adequately address these forms of advertising. Further delay to strengthening restrictions …
Response status not verified
#21 —
Recommendation: The evidence is clear: advertising impacts on the consumption of HFSS foods. The government has already accepted this to some degree given the action already taken to restrict exposure to HFSS advertising, but it must be bolder. Its current approach …
Response status not verified
#20 —
Recommendation: Working with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and directors of public health, we call on the government to: a. develop clearer definitions for the terms “hot food takeaway”, “fast- food outlet” and “reasonable walking distance” and develop guidance …
Response status not verified
#13 —
Recommendation: We therefore repeat the recommendation previously made by Sir Henry Dimbleby that the government should establish a “Community Eatwell” programme to provide healthy eating support to families and individuals on low incomes experiencing food-related ill health. The government should also …
Response status not verified
#12 —
Recommendation: Local projects to support access to healthier foods are doing fantastic work in their communities and seeing real results, using local knowledge and building strong community relationships to drive change. Community projects need to be a core part of any …
Response status not verified
#3 —
Recommendation: The government should also commit to regularly reviewing and updating the nutrient profile model so that we do not go another 22 years, or more, between updates. Reviewing and implementing an updated nutrient profiling model on a 10-year cycle would …
Response status not verified
#2 —
Recommendation: The 2018 nutrient profiling model should be implemented as soon as possible, and certainly no later than by the end of 2027. The government will hear a lot of representations against this, but should hold firm. While we are aware …
Response status not verified
#4 —
Recommendation: We recognise the importance of ‘horizon-scanning’ work to ensuring people maintain and increase their activity levels, which in turn will boost their resilience to the virus. However, smaller organisations are unlikely to have the resources 56 Impact of COVID-19 on …
Response attribution not verified
#14 —
Recommendation: As part of its national health and care recovery plan, we recommend that the Government sets out the contribution that public health services will make, and ensures that this contribution is backed with a level of funding that acknowledges their …
Response attribution not verified
#24 — Overall NHS productivity remains low despite increased elective activity and community investments.
Recommendation: Despite carrying out 15% more elective activity than before the pandemic, the NHS is less productive overall once the activities of mental health trusts, community trusts and GPs are considered.42 NHSE told us that, while government has had a long-term …
Response attribution not verified
#22 — Inadequate definition and tracking of prevention spending impedes accurate assessment of policy progress.
Recommendation: Currently, NHSE does not even track spend and activity on prevention by ICBs at local levels, due to unavailability of data and the lack of consistency about what counts as prevention spending. While DHSC funds some prevention activities that sit …
Response attribution not verified
#21 — DHSC believes prevention requires cultural and legislative change, not solely additional resource allocation.
Recommendation: DHSC told us it did not view providing more resources, or redirecting them from elsewhere, as a substantive part of the solution to the lack of progress with prevention. Instead, it considers that a shift towards prevention might be achieved …
Response attribution not verified
#20 — Progress on health prevention hindered by acute care focus and reduced public health grants.
Recommendation: Senior ICB leaders reported to the National Audit Office a continued lack of progress with the government’s long-standing aim to move towards preventing ill health rather than treating it. One of the most important reasons cited by ICBs has been …
Response attribution not verified
#13 — DHSC acknowledges long-term healthcare shifts but prioritises immediate acute service pressures.
Recommendation: DHSC and NHSE told us that they were fully supportive of the new government’s aims to shift healthcare spending from treatment towards prevention, from hospitals to the community, and from analogue to digital. However, DHSC contended that these shifts would …
Response attribution not verified
#6 — Ensure greater NHSE funding for community services, preventing redirection to hospitals.
Recommendation: NHSE’s long-held ambition to move more care from hospitals to the community has stalled. There would have been more investment and progress in mental health and community services, particularly GP surgeries and dental services, in 2023–24 had NHSE not redirected …
Response attribution not verified
#5 — Define government health prevention spending and increase flexible funding for local systems.
Recommendation: Given the constraints on public spending, it is highly likely that re- focusing attention from sickness to prevention cannot be achieved without re-allocating existing NHS funds in the same direction. Senior ICB leaders report a continued lack of progress with …
Response attribution not verified
#12 — Government commits to preventative oral healthcare measures including supervised toothbrushing and water fluoridation
Recommendation: The new government’s commitment to contract reform includes reference to a focus on prevention,27 and also to a programme of supervised toothbrushing for three, four, and five–year olds “most in need”.28 Tooth decay is a leading cause of hospital admissions …
Response attribution not verified
#14 — Spending shifts from preventative to late intervention services, increasing later costs and worsening outcomes.
Recommendation: MHCLG recognises the importance of investing in prevention but also the challenge of funding it when finances are constrained.34 Preventative services help stop, delay or reduce the need for statutory services and can help to deliver better outcomes.35 Over the …
Response attribution not verified
#11 — Prioritise funding and support for local preventative services to reduce acute service demand.
Recommendation: The Ministry must prioritise funding and support for local preventative services to fix the foundations, reduce the demand for acute services, and bring down costs in the longer term. (Recommendation, Paragraph 50)
Response attribution not verified
#10 — Temporary central government funding is required to rebuild damaged preventative services.
Recommendation: Rebuilding and strengthening damaged preventative services will require temporary increases in central government funding before the demand for acute services starts to drop. (Conclusion, Paragraph 49)
Response attribution not verified
#14 — Fund urgent research into FGM reconstructive surgery effectiveness, with NHS provision if proven beneficial.
Recommendation: The Government should facilitate and fund research into the effectiveness of reconstructive surgery for FGM survivors as a matter of priority. If evidence indicates that the surgery is effective, then the NHS should provide it. (Recommendation, Paragraph 44) Estimating the …
Response attribution not verified
#13 — Government obstructs FGM reconstructive surgery by failing to fund necessary research.
Recommendation: Many women who have undergone FGM seek reconstructive surgery to reverse FGM as far as possible. It is clear that the NHS is equipped to perform this surgery as it delivers it for other medical conditions. We acknowledge that the …
Response attribution not verified
#73 — Refocus High Needs Block funding towards early intervention and identification in mainstream settings.
Recommendation: The High Needs Block should be refocused to enable and incentivise earlier intervention. Currently, a significant proportion of this funding is directed towards supporting high-cost, specialist provision once needs have escalated. While such provision is vital for some, a more …
Response attribution not verified
#72 — Prioritise strategic funding deployment for early intervention in SEND to improve outcomes.
Recommendation: Funding must be strategically deployed to deliver the best outcomes for children and young people with SEND. This should include prioritised investment in early intervention. Timely and targeted support is essential 170 and can prevent some needs such as speech …
Response attribution not verified
#32 — Increase government support for grassroots initiatives enabling Muslim women's participation in social activity.
Recommendation: The Government should increase its support for community-led grassroots initiatives aimed at supporting Muslim women and girls to participate in social activity. (Recommendation, Paragraph 118) 54
Response attribution not verified
#13 — Commission community pharmacies to provide HIV-prevention PrEP and all routine adult and child immunisations.
Recommendation: In the shorter term, and in light of the large body of evidence and long-running calls for these services to be offered in community pharmacy settings, we recommend that NHS England commissions community pharmacies to provide the HIV-prevention medication PrEP …
Response attribution not verified
#22 —
Recommendation: We recommend that the Department’s “national movement campaign” include targeted messaging aimed at the least active and people approaching older age. These messages should demonstrate how movement can be incorporated into daily habits, use relatable role models and focus on …
Response status not verified
#13 —
Recommendation: It is time for the Government to invest so the country can build 90,000 social rent homes a year. We appreciate that even with the funding we set out below, any programme will take time to scale up, but we …
Response attribution not verified
#13 —
Recommendation: The pandemic has had a negative impact on health inequalities and highlighted the crucial importance of effective public health services in supporting local populations. Public health services are therefore vital allies in tackling the backlog, and we are surprised at …
Response attribution not verified
#24 — Diagnostics require further investment and greater integration across the entire health system.
Recommendation: Lord O’Neill told us that although DHSC and its arm’s-length bodies have done a decent job in some key areas, they have not really progressed diagnostics. He is of the view that diagnostics should be embedded across the entire health …
Response attribution not verified
#5 — Pensioners face increased health risks and unsustainable care demand without a preventative, whole-system approach
Recommendation: As pensioners are generally on a fixed income, they face challenges responding to cost-of-living increases. Those on low incomes are likely to respond by cutting back on food, energy use and social interactions, adding to existing health risks. Various social …
Response attribution not verified
#30 —
Recommendation: We welcome the Minister’s recognition that the different parts of government—including DWP and the NHS—are ‘in this together.’ As we said in our Pensioner Poverty report, a whole system approach to prevention is needed if the government is to achieve …
Response status not verified
#21 —
Recommendation: The government must start a national conversation about ageing which talks about getting older in a more positive way, challenges assumptions about unavoidable and irreversible decline and motivates people to remain active. (Conclusion, Paragraph 74)
Response status not verified
#26 —
Recommendation: We recommend that the Government make physical education a core subject within the national curriculum. (Recommendation, Paragraph 76)
Response attribution not verified
#2 —
Recommendation: We recognise the pressures on the public finances. Investing in sport, however, by creating a more active population, will eventually lead to significant savings, particularly in the health and welfare budgets. We recommend that the Government increase the 0.3% (£3.8 …
Response attribution not verified
CQC inspection actions(1)
NAO audit recommendations(4)
Local government financial sustainability
As part of the spending review, and to support a cross-departmental approach, we recommend that HM Treasury: incentivise government departments to invest in preventative services to deliver better outcomes and improved value for money
Accepted
NHS Financial Management and Sustainability
As part of the next spending review, DHSC and NHSE should identify and explain to HM Treasury what further capital investments across government could have the greatest impact on NHS productivity and preventing serious ill health. As part of this …
Accepted
Support for vulnerable adolescents
We recommend that those central government departments involved should, through formal governance, work together to: b) address the gaps in the evidence base of what interventions work to support vulnerable adolescents;
Accepted
The adult social care market in England
The Department should: a) as a priority, set out a cross-government, long-term, funded vision for care. It should collaborate with the Ministry and local government in particular; factoring in sector and user perspectives, such as people with lived experience;
Accepted
Health investigations(3)
Independent investigation: Anthony Harrison, Andover (1998) — Rec 1
There should be no further disinvestment in mental health promotion services, especially those aimed at improving the mental health of young people.
south_east
Independent investigation: Janet Keegan, Enfield & Harringay (1997) — Rec 9
Social Services should consider allocating resources to offer counselling and support in cases of serious domestic violence.
london
An independent investigation into the care and treatment of Mr … — Rec 2
Early work with families when children are diagnosed with a learning disability to be re-visited and a protocol developed (in general).
north_west
Independent reviews(50)
Acheson Report — Rec 36
We RECOMMEND policies which reduce disability and ameliorate its consequences in older women, particularly those living alone. Specifically:
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 29
We RECOMMEND policies which will promote the maintenance of mobility, independence, and social contacts. Specifically:
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 26.5
We recommend policies which reduce alcohol-related ill health, accidents and violence, including measures which at least maintain the real cost of alcohol.
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 26.4
We recommend making nicotine replacement therapy available on prescription.
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 26.3
We recommend increases in the real price of tobacco to discourage young people from becoming habitual smokers and to encourage adult smokers to quit. These increases should be introduced in tandem with policies to improve the living standards of low income households and polices to help smokers in these households …
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 26.2
We recommend policies to reduce tobacco smoking including: restricting smoking in public places; abolishing tobacco advertising and promotion; and community, mass media and educational initiatives.
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 26
We RECOMMEND policies which promote the adoption of healthier lifestyles, particularly in respect of factors which show a strong social gradient in prevalence or consequences. Specifically:
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 22.3
We recommend the further development of programmes to help women to give up smoking before or during pregnancy, and which are focused on the less well off.
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 22.2
We recommend the fluoridation of the water supply.
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 22.1
We recommend policies which increase the prevalence of breastfeeding.
Health & Social Care
Glover Landscapes Review — Rec 10
Proposal 10: Landscapes that cater for and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing We think there should be a new role for our national landscapes in helping the health of our nation, working with another great national institution founded the year before legislation for landscapes: the NHS. They can and …
Other
Black Review on Health and Work — Rec 16
Any awareness-raising campaign about health, work and well-being should aim to demonstrate the benefits of being in work – not just for parents and carers but also the knock-on positive effects for their families and communities.
Health & Social Care
Black Review on Health and Work — Rec 15
Schools and Further Education colleges should consider including the benefits of work in their health promotion for children and young people.
Health & Social Care
Black Review on Health and Work — Rec 14
Government should explore practical ways to make it easier for smaller employers and organisations to establish health and well-being initiatives.
Health & Social Care
Black Review on Health and Work — Rec 13
Government agencies, and other bodies concerned with economic development and business, should promote employers' understanding of the economic case for investing in health and well-being.
Health & Social Care
Black Review on Health and Work — Rec 7
Government should pilot a new Fit for Work service based on case-managed, multidisciplinary support for patients in the early stages of sickness absence, with the aim of making access to work-related health support available to all – no longer the preserve of the few. Pilots should test various models of …
Health & Social Care
Black Review on Health and Work — Rec 4
Government should launch a major drive to promote understanding of the positive relationship between health and work among employers, healthcare professionals and the general public. This should include encouraging young people to understand the benefits of a life in work and its impact on their families and communities.
Health & Social Care
Black Review on Health and Work — Rec 3
Government should initiate a business-led health and well-being consultancy service, offering tailored advice and support and access to occupational health support at a market rate. This should be geared towards smaller organisations. It should aim to be self-sustaining in the medium-term, and be fully evaluated and tested against free-to-use services.
Health & Social Care
Allen Early Intervention Review (Part 1) — Rec 4
Within that context, I recommend an essential shift to a primary prevention strategy which offers substantial social and financial benefits.
Other
Field Review on Poverty and Life Chances — Rec 4
The increased funding should be targeted at those factors we know matter most in the early years: high quality and consistent support for parents during pregnancy, and in the early years, support for better parenting; support for a good home learning environment; and, high quality childcare.
Other
Field Review on Poverty and Life Chances — Rec 2
The Review recommends that the Government gradually moves funding to the early years, and that this funding is weighted toward the most disadvantaged children as we build the evidence base of effective programmes. The Fairness Premium, introduced in the 2010 Spending Review, should begin in pregnancy.
Other
Field Review on Poverty and Life Chances — Rec 1
The Review recommends that government, national and local, should give greater prominence to the earliest years in life, from pregnancy to age five, adopting the term Foundation Years. This is for several reasons: to increase public understanding of how babies and young children develop and what is important to ensure …
Other
Marmot Review — Rec 6
Policy Objective F: Strengthen the role and impact of ill-health prevention Priority objectives: 1. Prioritise prevention and early detection of those conditions most strongly related to health inequalities. 2. Increase availability of long-term and sustainable funding in ill health prevention across the social gradient. Policy recommendations: 1. Prioritise investment in …
Health & Social Care
Marmot Review — Rec 1
Policy Objective A: Give every child the best start in life Priority objectives: 1. Reduce inequalities in the early development of physical and emotional health, and cognitive, linguistic, and social skills. 2. Ensure high quality maternity services, parenting programmes, childcare and early years education to meet need across the social …
Health & Social Care
Allen Early Intervention Review (Part 2) — Rec 11
I recommend that, given the public expenditure situation, we need to be much more creative in finding additional (not substitute) non-government money. The social goal of Early Intervention and the design of new instruments should be tightly coupled together so that the instruments do not lose their raison d'être, as …
Other
Allen Early Intervention Review (Part 2) — Rec 3
I recommend that government, when planning the next Comprehensive Spending Review, should consider making Early Intervention its theme, and that work undertaken by a Treasury-led team should signal a decisive rebalancing of central government spending from late intervention to investing in Early Intervention. I believe that steady and incremental migration …
Other
Carol Black Drugs Review (Part 2) — Rec 29
We recommend that DfE and DCMS, with support from DHSC and the Office for Health Promotion, invest in age-appropriate evidence-based services and support all young people to build resilience and to avoid substance misuse. Local authorities should identify, and provide additional support to, those young people most at risk of …
Health & Social Care
Wessely Review — Rec 106
Funding should be made available to support research into i) the issues that lead to mental disorder in people of a wider range of ethnic minority communities, in particular African and Caribbean individuals; and ii) interventions which improve outcomes.
Health & Social Care
Accepted
Stevenson/Farmer Review — Rec 35
We recommend that Government and other organisations should focus information, support and funding to support small and medium sized employers to implement the mental health core standards, and ensure the impact of this is evaluated.
Employment & Work
Accepted
Stevenson/Farmer Review — Rec 24
We recommend Government explores the potential to incentivise employers, especially SMEs, to implement the mental health core standards, including building on evidence from the West Midlands 'wellbeing premium' trial.
Employment & Work
Accepted
Stevenson/Farmer Review — Rec 23
We recommend Government protects and promotes the current tax relief for employers to invest in the mental health of their employees.
Employment & Work
Accepted
Stevenson/Farmer Review — Rec 8
We recommend that insurers explore how they could support and reward employers, in particular SMEs, who adopt preventative policies and provide mental health support to their employees.
Employment & Work
Accepted
Darzi Review — Rec 3
The state of the NHS is not due entirely to what has happened within the health service. The health of the nation has deteriorated and that impacts its performance. Overall life expectancy increased in the 2000s, but plateaued during the 2010s, before decreasing during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has started …
Health & Social Care
Building Control Independent Panel — Rec 10
Protect building control income. In designing the new model of delivery, ensure income is guaranteed for the long term by ringfencing it to ensure BCBs can deliver their functions effectively.
Building Safety
Acheson Report — Rec 35
We RECOMMEND policies which reduce psychosocial ill health in young women in disadvantaged circumstances, particularly those caring for young children. Specifically:
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 25
We RECOMMEND policies which promote sexual health in young people and reduce unwanted teenage pregnancy, including access to appropriate contraceptive services.
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 23
We RECOMMEND policies that promote the social and emotional support for parents and children. Specifically:
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 22
We RECOMMEND policies which improve the health and nutrition of women of child-bearing age and their children with priority given to the elimination of food poverty and the prevention and reduction of obesity. Specifically:
Health & Social Care
Acheson Report — Rec 6
We RECOMMEND the further development of "health promoting schools", initially focused on, but not limited to, disadvantaged communities.
Health & Social Care
Glover Landscapes Review — Rec 21
Proposal 21: Welcoming new landscape approaches in cities and the coast, and a city park competition Our established network of national landscapes should sit alongside innovative ideas to link people to natural places close to their homes. We hope our existing landscapes, and government, give them energetic support. We have …
Other
Glover Landscapes Review — Rec 7
Proposal 7: A stronger mission to connect all people with our national landscapes, supported and held to account by the new National Landscapes Service We need our national landscape bodies to lead the charge in connecting more people to nature. The purpose we have now needs reinvigorating and applying equally …
Other
Allen Early Intervention Review (Part 1) — Rec 20
I recommend that the 19 ‘top programmes’ identified in my Report should be supported and expanded to demonstrate our commitment to Early Intervention. However, I also recommend that this list of 19 should not be regarded as exhaustive or complete: all should be reviewed and reassessed by the new Early …
Other
Allen Early Intervention Review (Part 1) — Rec 18
I recommend that a greater proportion of any new public and private expenditure should be spent on proven Early Intervention policies rather than on unproven ones.
Other
Allen Early Intervention Review (Part 1) — Rec 12
I recommend that the success of Family Nurse Partnership should be taken further, with the aspiration that every vulnerable first-time young mother who meets the criteria and wants to join Family Nurse Partnership should be able to access it, and that discussions should take place with all relevant interests on …
Other
Allen Early Intervention Review (Part 1) — Rec 7
I recommend that the United Kingdom should adopt the concept of the foundation years from 0 to 5 (including pregnancy), and give it at least the same status and recognition as primary or secondary stages. Its prime objective should be to produce high levels of ‘school readiness’ for all children …
Other
Allen Early Intervention Review (Part 1) — Rec 6
Since waiting for problems to take root before reacting costs the taxpayer billions of pounds, I recommend that we should exploit the potential for massive savings in public expenditure through an Early Intervention approach.
Other
Allen Early Intervention Review (Part 1) — Rec 3
I recommend a rebalancing of the current culture of ‘late reaction’ to social problems towards an Early Intervention culture, based on the premise of giving all children the social and emotional bedrock they need to achieve and to pre-empt those problems.
Other
Allen Early Intervention Review (Part 1) — Rec 2
I recommend that the nation should recognise that influencing social and emotional capability becomes harder and more expensive the later it is attempted, and more likely to fail.
Other
Allen Early Intervention Review (Part 1) — Rec 1
I recommend that the nation should be made aware of the enormous benefits to individuals, families and society of Early Intervention – a policy approach designed to build the essential social and emotional bedrock in children aged 0–3 and to ensure that children aged 0–18 can become the excellent parents …
Other
Field Review on Poverty and Life Chances — Rec 5
Government should start now to develop a long term strategy, to increase the life chances of poorer children by narrowing the gaps in outcomes between poorer and richer children in the Foundation Years. This will prove the most cost effective way of addressing inequalities in adult life outcomes. We hope …
Other
LGO / SPSO decisions(2)
24-017-769 — Birmingham City Council
Summary: There was fault and delay by the Council in implementing a Tribunal decision and securing provision in an Education, Health and Care Plan. As a result, a child missed out on provision for many months. The Council has agreed to apologise, make symbolic payments and carry out service improvements.
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Oct 2025
21-018-188 — West Sussex County Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to make changes to its Early Help service. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault in how the Council dealt with the process.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Apr 2022
Domestic Homicide Reviews(6)
Cheltenham — recommendation 4
PSHE should be a statutory requirement in education and can play an important part in keeping young people safe. This should be an inspection standard for scrutiny by Ofsted.
Department of Education | Ofsted
Department for Education
Liverpool — recommendation 3
There should be a local review of strategies and resource allocation addressing issues of young people and domestic abuse (including physical violence and all other types of abuse). High priority should be given to ensuring: • An increase in publicity, awareness raising and preventative work to be developed (by and …
Local agencies
Kingston upon Thames — recommendation 28
Analysis to be completed to ascertain whether we have the right amount available
Victim Support
South Cambridgeshire — recommendation 3
Cambridgeshire Public Health to publicise ‘Stop Suicide’ to businesses within their jurisdiction and how to access this. This will both inform and encourage employers within Cambridgeshire to educate themselves in this area as to how they can support their staff and what pathways are available in these circumstances.
Cambridgeshire Public Health
Croydon — recommendation B
To encourage use of the social prescriber within a Primary Care Network to facilitate onward referrals to aid patients who are suffering from social deprivation factors. Social prescribing allows GPs to refer patients to non-clinical services, with the aim of helping then to take greater control of their own health. …
Bromley ICB
South Cambridgeshire — recommendation 6
Cambridgeshire Public Health to ensure ongoing suicide prevention activity is adapted to meet the needs of people with autism and learning disabilities, primarily by sharing suicide prevention resources and promote suicide prevention training to key organisations. This provides focussed information and advice specific to an area that has been identified …
Cambridgeshire Public Health