Lee Peart 07 February 2025

Government increases Public Health Grant by 5.4%

Government increases Public Health Grant by 5.4%  image
Image: Doidam 10 / Shutterstock.com.

A £200m boost to public health services has been announced by the Government.

The 5.4% increase (a real terms rise of 3%) for the Public Health Grant takes funding for family and school nurses, sexual health clinics and other public health services to £3.9bn.

Minister for public health and prevention, Andrew Gwynne, said: ‘After a decade of cuts to public health, this Government is committed to shifting the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention, and we’re putting our money where our mouth is.’

The investment is a key part of the Government’s Plan for Change, shifting the focus from hospital to community and from sickness to prevention to build a more sustainable, fit for future NHS.

Adam Briggs, senior policy fellow at the Health Foundation, said the announcement was a ‘welcome first step in putting prevention back at the heart of the Government's agenda and one we have long called for’.

David Buck, senior fellow at The King’s Fund, cautioned that with the Government yet to announce separate council budgets for drug and alcohol services it was ‘hard to say if there will be an overall increase in council public health budgets, but today’s announcement is a positive sign’.

Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said a ‘shift from one-off pots of funding to longer-term and more coordinated funding cycles across departments is needed so that local authorities can work alongside the NHS to truly improve health outcomes in their communities’.

Cllr David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, called for a ‘long-term sustainable funding plan for public health’ to be set out in the Spending Review to ‘give councils the long-term certainty they need to plan services that meet the needs of their communities’.

Nuffield Trust chief executive Thea Stein said: ‘Ultimately, how far today’s boost will really go depends on what happens to staff wages, which can quickly eat up funding in these services, and whether traditionally separate funding for drug and alcohol services sits within this extra money.’

Lee Peart is editor of Hemming Group’s Healthcare Management magazine.

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Senior Product Support Analyst

Essex County Council
£33512 - £39425 per annum + Hybrid Working
*Experience the best of both worlds with our flexible hybrid working arrangements. Enjoy the freedom to work from home while still benefiting from in England, Essex, Chelmsford
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Security Architect

Essex County Council
£60049 - £70645 per annum + Hybrid Working
This is a 12 month fixed term contract or secondment opportunity.*Experience the best of both worlds with our flexible hybrid working arrangements. E England, Essex, Chelmsford
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Control Officer

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth
£37602 - £45564 plus shift and weekend allowance
Are you looking for your next opportunity to work as part of a team in a 24-hour emergency control room covering the Boroughs of Richmond and Wandsworth. To be responsible for receiving and logging calls from the public, outside agencies and partners. Use Wandsworth, London
Recuriter: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth

Senior User Centered Designer

Essex County Council
£60049 - £70645 per annum + Hybrid Working
Interviews will be held on 29th and 30th October 2025.*Experience the best of both worlds with our flexible hybrid working arrangements. Enjoy the fr England, Essex, Chelmsford
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Network and Communications Lead

Essex County Council
£52621 - £61906 per annum + Hybrid working
Interviews will be held W/C 20th October 2025.*Experience the best of both worlds with our flexible hybrid working arrangements. Enjoy the freedom to England, Essex, Chelmsford
Recuriter: Essex County Council
Linkedin Banner