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 5 independent accountability sources, so the source mix matters as much as the headline total.
1 inquiry rec
9 PFD reports
72 committee recs
4 NAO 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: Mental health services were underfunded and under-resourced, leading to fragmented care, inadequate recording of critical information, and delayed professional assessments for severely unwell patients.
Response: South West London and St George's NHS Trust has revised serious incident procedures so that initial findings from concise investigations are reviewed after ten working days to consider escalating to …
Overdue
Kate Dolby
Concerns: Chronic underfunding and staff shortages in mental health services, particularly for doctors in the EIP team, led to precarious patient care and significant delays in treatment.
Overdue
Michael Cooper
Concerns: Chronic underfunding of mental health services led to a critical lack of inpatient beds and excessive Care Coordinator caseloads, causing delayed follow-ups and inadequate risk assessments.
Response (NHS England): The CCG will be meeting the local authority to address differences in opinion regarding provision of services for alcohol, drug and substance misuse and homelessness. The Clinical network is currently …
Response (NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB): The CCG provides background and context on mental health commissioning, including funding increases, but does not explicitly state actions taken or planned in direct response to the concerns raised in …
Responded
Bradley Morgan
Concerns: Mental health services suffered communication breakdowns and severe underfunding, resulting in excessive staff caseloads and a lack of timely patient follow-up, which created a risk to life.
Response (NHS England): NHS England will ensure services are commissioned and provided to ensure risk assessments are available 24/7, and the CCG will meet with the local authority to address differences in opinion …
Response (NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB): The CCG provided funding to Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB) for a personality disorder pathway and clinical lead, and invested in BSMHFT to appoint a clinical lead for personality disorder; they …
Responded
Michael Wheeler
Concerns: Inadequate mental health service funding led to a lack of psychiatrist review for a patient with severe paranoia and inpatient bed shortages, overstretching Home Treatment Teams.
Response (NHS England): NHS England will ensure services are commissioned and provided to ensure risk assessments are available 24/7, and the CCG will meet with the local authority to address differences in opinion …
Response (NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB): The CCG provided funding to Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB) for a personality disorder pathway and clinical lead, and invested in BSMHFT to appoint a clinical lead for personality disorder; they …
Responded
Stephen Jackson
Concerns: Mental health services failed to provide essential post-discharge follow-up from the home treatment team despite an urgent GP referral, leaving the patient unsupported due to underfunding.
Response (NHS England): The CCG will be meeting the local authority to address differences in opinion regarding provision of services for alcohol, drug and substance misuse and homelessness. The Clinical network is currently …
Response (NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB): Birmingham and Solihull CCG has already invested in various mental health services, including a new pathway for personality disorders, increased community provision, and staffing for 'step up step down' services.
Responded
William Edge
Concerns: A suicidal patient was discharged without adequate follow-up from the Home Treatment Team, who could not revisit despite an urgent family request, due to critical bed shortages and underfunding.
Response (NHS England): NHS England acknowledges concerns about mental health service demands and funding. They state that providers will make more robust plans to contact patients who do not attend appointments, and will …
Response (NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB): Birmingham and Solihull CCG has already invested in various mental health services, including a new pathway for personality disorders, increased community provision, and staffing for 'step up step down' services.
Responded
Mohan Acharya
Concerns: Emergency department crowding is a significant risk factor associated with increased mortality among admitted patients, contributing to approximately 500 deaths annually.
Response (the Department of Health and Social Care): The Department of Health and Social Care highlights NHS plans to improve urgent and emergency care, including implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan, expansion of NHS 111, and embedding …
Responded
Maeve Boothby O’Neill
Concerns: There is a critical lack of specialist healthcare provision and funding for research into severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). Limited doctor training and inadequate NICE guideline details on managing severe ME are also significant concerns.
Response (NHS England): NHS England is awaiting DHSC's final ME/CFS Delivery Plan and is developing e-learning modules for healthcare professionals. They have engaged with NICE regarding guidance on ME/CFS and nutrition support, and …
Response (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence): NICE will review evidence on dietary management for severe ME/CFS published since the 2021 guidelines and consider amendments to emphasize the need for appropriate nutritional support. It will also work …
Response (MSC): The MSC highlights that it is not a regulator but shares information about how ME/CFS is taught and assessed in medical schools, noting the GMC's new national licensing exam and …
Response (DHSC and NIHR): DHSC will reconvene the ME/CFS Task and Finish Group to develop a final delivery plan by the end of March 2025, focusing on research, attitudes, and education. NHS England is …
Response (MRC): The MRC has invested £3.6m since 2019 in ME/CFS research in partnership with the NIHR, including co-funding the DecodeME study, and continues to engage with researchers and patient representatives to …
Overdue
Select committee recommendations(72)— showing 50 strongest matches
#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 …
Gov response: Sporting Future identified the huge opportunity that the digital agenda presents for sport and physical activity. Using data to make people more aware of activity opportunities available to them has continued to be a key …
Under Consideration
#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 …
Gov response: Partially accept. The Government recognises the crucial importance of effective public health services in supporting local populations, and the negative impact that the pandemic has had on health inequalities. Public health services are vital in …
Under Consideration
#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 …
Gov response: 6.2 NHS investment in primary medical care and community services (including continuing care) increased faster than overall ICB spend in 2023-24. 6.3 DHSC and NHSE have prioritised mental health in its plans for 2025-26, requiring …
Not Addressed
#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 …
Gov response: 5.4 Prevention is one of the 'three shifts' the Secretary of State has set out as strategic ambitions for the health systemin England. Measures for supporting the prevention shift are being considered in context of …
Not Addressed
#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 …
Gov response: 5.4 Prevention is one of the 'three shifts' the Secretary of State has set out as strategic ambitions for the health systemin England. Measures for supporting the prevention shift are being considered in context of …
Not Addressed
#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 …
Gov response: 5.4 Prevention is one of the 'three shifts' the Secretary of State has set out as strategic ambitions for the health systemin England. Measures for supporting the prevention shift are being considered in context of …
Not Addressed
#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 …
Gov response: 2.2 The underlying financial position of the NHS providers and systems is significantly improved in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24 with an end of year deficit of around £600 million compared to £1.5 billion in the …
Not Addressed
#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 …
Gov response: The government is considering this recommendation. care) increased faster than overall ICB spend in 2023-24. DHSC and NHSE have prioritised mental health in its plans for 2025-26, requiring ICBs to meet the Mental Health Investment …
Under Consideration
#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 …
Gov response: The government is considering this recommendation. ambitions for the 10 Year Health Plan. Funding for 2026-27 onwards will be determined following Spending Review Phase 2 and will be aligned to support the delivery of the …
Under Consideration
#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 …
Gov response: 1.8 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented: December 2024 1.9 The Plan for Change has already set out the government’s commitment to addressing the main underlying drivers of ill-health and tackling persistent …
Accepted
#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 …
Gov response: 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 3.2 As outlined in HM Treasury’s Permanent Secretary’s letter to the Committee on 7 August 2025, the government’s approach to public sector reform is informed …
Accepted
#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)
Gov response: 40. At autumn Budget 2024, the Government set aside funding to support the public sector with the additional cost of employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs). The total support funding for the whole of the public …
Under Consideration
#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)
Gov response: 38. The New Burdens Doctrine exists to ensure that where central government places new statutory duties or instructs changes in how existing responsibilities must be delivered, local authorities are properly funded. The Government has explored …
Under Consideration
#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 …
Gov response: We agree this is an important area of research and are in the process of taking the recommendation forward. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is developing a call in this area …
Accepted
#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 …
Gov response: We agree this is an important area of research and are in the process of taking the recommendation forward. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is developing a call in this area …
Accepted
#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 …
Gov response: Supporting children with SEND is central to the early years agenda. The government recognises the important role the early years sector plays in early intervention to ensure the right support is put in place for …
Partially Accepted
#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 …
Gov response: Supporting children with SEND is central to the early years agenda. The government recognises the important role the early years sector plays in early intervention to ensure the right support is put in place for …
Accepted
#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
Gov response: 85. The Government recognises the importance of community-led initiatives in fostering social cohesion and bringing people together. By supporting locally driven programmes we aim to strengthen community connection and cohesion to build resilience. These initiatives …
No Published Response
#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 …
Gov response: This Government inherited a system that has been neglected for too long. We are committed to exploring opportunities to make use of technology as we look to develop and support our NHS in line with …
Partially Accepted
#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 Pending
#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 …
Gov response: The Government recognises the need to increase housing supply across all tenures. The Chancellor announced a £12bn investment in Affordable Housing at the Budget in March 2020, which will provide new homes up to 2025/26. …
Under Consideration
#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 …
Gov response: Partially accept. The Government recognises the crucial importance of effective public health services in supporting local populations, and the negative impact that the pandemic has had on health inequalities. Public health services are vital in …
Under Consideration
#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 …
Gov response: 4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2027 4.2 The government is working to fulfil Outcome 6 of the NAP, which commits to cross- sector working to develop diagnostics as …
Accepted
#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 …
Gov response: The Government recognise that pensioner poverty is often the result of compounding disadvantages that start long before retirement which is why state support is provided accordingly. For example, we have increased the National Living Wage …
Accepted
#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 Pending
#26 —
Recommendation: We recommend that the Government make physical education a core subject within the national curriculum. (Recommendation, Paragraph 76)
Gov response: The Government is focusing on improving quality, clarity and consistency through curriculum reform, wider school sport policy and targeted support for schools, an approach expected to deliver more meaningful impact without the complexity of legislative …
Response Pending
#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 …
Gov response: We are committed to delivering sustained investment into sport and recreation, ensuring funding is targeted at the least active communities. At least £400 million will be invested in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities over …
Response Pending
#1 —
Recommendation: The evidence shows that funding community sport and physical activity is an investment with high returns, including savings on healthcare costs, productivity gains, and wider wellbeing benefits. The consequences of under‑investment are costly. Ageing infrastructure, higher operating costs, and reduced …
Gov response: This funding is alongside the £400 million we will invest over the next four years to transform grassroots facilities for the communities that need it most, as well as the more than £250 million Exchequer …
Response Pending
#3 —
Recommendation: The cessation of community sport countrywide during lockdown has hit under- represented groups the hardest. While we welcome the announcement that some recreational sports teams can now resume play, we are concerned about gyms and leisure centres. These facilities act …
Gov response: to be active. It is important that leisure centres remain accessible for people from all backgrounds as we make efforts to return to normality after the Covid-19 lockdown period. Outdoor swimming pools have been able …
Under Consideration
#1 —
Recommendation: The failure to properly fund children’s and adult social care, especially adult social care, is the single biggest threat facing local government financial resilience. Given that the cost of providing social care consumes between 60% and 70% of the budgets …
Gov response: Since the start of the pandemic, we have committed over £12 billion in financial support to councils to tackle the impacts of COVID-19, including over £6 billion of un-ringfenced grants (£4.6 billion for 2020/21 and …
Under Consideration
#8 —
Recommendation: We are also concerned about the lack of progress on preventing ill-health rather than simply treating it.17 There also do not appear to be effective joint working arrangements between different government departments to tackle the causes of ill-health.18 The Department …
Gov response: 1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: August 2023 1.2 The Department of Health and Social Care (the department) will write to the Committee by August 2023 addressing the points mentioned …
Not Addressed
#24 — Investment in research for drivers of substance misuse behaviours remains inadequate
Recommendation: Dame Carol and Ms Wiseman told us that there was little investment in research into the behaviours and factors that lead to substance misuse.80 The JCDU pointed to the £5 million investment in the ‘innovation fund’ which is looking at …
Gov response: 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: April 2025 6.2 The Drug Strategy highlighted the need to build the evidence in the initial phase to support the government’s thinking on what …
Accepted
#3 — Ensure RSHE teachers receive training and deliver comprehensive reproductive health education early
Recommendation: The Government should ensure teachers tasked with delivering the menstrual and gynaecological health element of RSHE receive the training necessary to deliver it effectively. Information on women’s reproductive health conditions should be taught early on in secondary education, preferably around …
Gov response: We must ensure high-quality health information and signposting is available for everyone across the country. We know that many women access health information through online sources, including the NHS website and social media, as well …
Under Consideration
#2 — Revise draft RSHE guidance on menstrual health due to insufficient and late teaching
Recommendation: However, we are concerned that the teaching of the menstrual health element of relationships, sex and health education is insufficient and inconsistent. It is often delivered too late in a child’s development to be of use and by teachers who …
Gov response: We agree that all students, including both girls and boys, should receive comprehensive education on menstrual health, and that all girls and women should be informed on what a ‘normal’ period is. Relationships, sex and …
Not Addressed
#23 — NHSE's top-down guidance significantly hinders local health systems' intended resource allocation autonomy.
Recommendation: Local areas would value more flexibility about where they can direct their resources to achieve greatest impact, including how they fund measures to prevent ill health. ICBs were supposed to have greater autonomy in determining how to allocate resources locally …
Gov response: 5.11 The department and NHSE recently announced changes to the NHS operating model to move power from the health centre to local leaders. In keeping with this change, 2025-26 Operational Planning Guidance removed many ringfences, …
Accepted
#6 — Government lacks consistent cross-departmental strategy for older people, conflicting with preventative health goals
Recommendation: The Government says it is taking a cross-department approach to address the challenges faced by older people. We were interested in arguments that it would help to have a strategy where the Government set out its objectives for older people …
Gov response: The Government recognise that pensioner poverty is often the result of compounding disadvantages that start long before retirement which is why state support is provided accordingly. For example, we have increased the National Living Wage …
Not Addressed
#66 — Declining adult education funding threatens efforts to upskill workforce and achieve social goals
Recommendation: Funding for adult education and skills has declined sharply since the early 2000s, particularly in classroom-based learning. The Government’s reduction in adult education funding for 2025–26 will further undermine efforts to upskill the existing workforce and to support those who …
Gov response: UNDER REVIEW Skills England will play a key role in supporting informed decisions on funding priorities by providing timely, relevant and high-quality data and analysis. As outlined in Skills England’s recently updated remit letter, this …
Not Addressed
#19 — Restore dedicated ring-fenced funding for maternity care Service Development Fund to £95 million.
Recommendation: We strongly recommend that the Government restore the dedicated ring- fenced funding for the Service Development Fund for maternity care to £95 million. Properly targeted we believe this investment has the potential to reduce the substantial cost of maternity negligence …
Gov response: This government has instructed the NHS to improve maternity services, as part of a drive to improve quality, as a priority in the Medium Term Planning Framework. Maternity funding has not been cut. The same …
Not Accepted
#15 —
Recommendation: Paramilitarism is an enduring and intolerable legacy of the Troubles which continues to threaten and harm communities across Northern Ireland. We plan to consider the findings of the scoping report of the Independent Expert into paramilitary group transition when it …
Response Pending
#39 —
Recommendation: Sport and physical activity remain underrecognised within national health policy, despite strong evidence of their value for prevention, wellbeing and the management of longterm conditions, and despite the Government’s stated support. While England is regarded as a leader in social …
Gov response: This Government agrees on the importance of ensuring that people, at risk of, and living with long-term conditions have access to movement opportunities that best meet their needs and circumstances. There is already existing guidance …
Response Pending
#25 —
Recommendation: We recommend that the Government require schools to have a policy to give every child the opportunity to achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day. We further recommend that the Government set clear expectations for activity to …
Gov response: The Government recognises the important role schools can play in helping children to be active in and around the school day. This can include high-quality PE, introducing active uniform, encouraging active travel and increased opportunities …
Response Pending
#9 —
Recommendation: We were concerned about reports that the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) had sought to renege on commitments to provide funding for physical education. Given the importance of PE and sport to improving health outcomes, and the potential …
Gov response: It is absolutely right that school sports are adequately funded particularly given the positive impact physical activity can have on children’s health. As set out in its 10 Year Health Plan, DHSC is committed to …
Response Pending
#71 —
Recommendation: To increase education on biodiversity we: a) Support the establishment of a Natural History GCSE; b) Recommend the Department for Education re-evaluate the opportunities for nature visits and teaching outside, as part of its support to schools recovering from the …
Gov response: (31a) The Department for Education (DfE) is exploring the option of introducing a new GCSE in Natural History after receiving a proposal from exam board OCR. Initial discussions with OCR have taken place. DfE, and …
Not Addressed
#70 —
Recommendation: For biodiversity to be protected, it has to be appreciated and valued. But our increasing detachment from nature stops many of us knowing and directly experiencing it. This starts at a young age; children are spending less and less time …
Gov response: (31a) The Department for Education (DfE) is exploring the option of introducing a new GCSE in Natural History after receiving a proposal from exam board OCR. Initial discussions with OCR have taken place. DfE, and …
Not Addressed
#34 —
Recommendation: We again recommend that a duty be placed on ICBs for them to have regard to mental health and public health. (Paragraph 128) Clearing the backlog caused by the pandemic 39
Gov response: The Government agrees that it is important that ICBs have regard to mental health and public health. The Health and Care Act 2022 places a duty on ICBs to have regard to the need to …
Under Consideration
#4 —
Recommendation: Nutrition is a keystone investment. It builds resilience in health, improves education outcomes and strengthens the economy through labour market participation. Moreover, investing in it represents very real value for money
Gov response: FCDO should focus education spending on the most impactful programmes for poverty reduction, particularly early years and primary education. All programmes should be disability inclusive, recognising the additional barriers disabled children face when accessing education. …
Under Consideration
#40 — DHSC's neglect of long-term NHS sustainability led to a record maintenance backlog.
Recommendation: This committee has highlighted many times in the years since 2016 that DHSC has focused on short-term survival of NHS services, while neglecting long-term sustainability, 78 Qq 49–51 79 Q 94 80 Q 91; C&AG’s Report, para 4.2 81 C&AG’s …
Gov response: 8.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 8.2 The government recognises the importance of capital investment in the NHS and the role it plays in an effective and productive healthcare system. The …
Accepted
#18 — Reduced Maternity Service Development Fund risks widening disparities and compromising critical reforms.
Recommendation: We are concerned by the Government’s decision to cut the Maternity Service Development Fund from £95 million to £2 million. While ICBs still have access to this funding, maternity services must now compete with other local priorities. While performance metrics …
Gov response: This government has instructed the NHS to improve maternity services, as part of a drive to improve quality, as a priority in the Medium Term Planning Framework. Maternity funding has not been cut. The same …
Not Accepted
#24 —
Recommendation: We recommend that the Government strengthen the national curriculum by confirming that as part of the new approach to school sport announced in June 2025, a minimum of two hours of high‑quality PE each week will be mandatory. (Recommendation, Paragraph …
Gov response: The Government recognises the importance of ensuring all pupils have sufficient time for high-quality physical education. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which published its final report on 5 November 2025, found that, despite PE’s …
Response Pending
#3 —
Recommendation: Year on year, we continue to see persistent gaps in activity levels between different demographics. This issue has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and certain groups in society continue to be disproportionately impacted. We acknowledge the support provided through …
Gov response: The Government agrees with the intentions of the recommendation in the importance of providing funding for tackling inequalities in participation. The Government has already provided a significant amount of funding in this area as set …
Accepted
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
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