Local authorities might be forced to cut vital public health services if the proposed new NHS pay rises are not properly funded, council leaders warn.
The Department of Health and Social Care last week wrote to councils informing them that they would be expected to use their existing budgets in order to pay for increases in NHS pay for community services they commissioned.
The proposed new increases would include a 5.2% pay rise for staff 2023-4, as well as one off 6% cost for 2022-3 for staff and are currently being consulted upon by health trade unions.
The Government has increased the local public health grant provided to councils by 3.2% this year. However, the Local Government Association (LGA) warns that meeting potential NHS pay demands would put too much pressure on local public health services, leading to cuts.
Cllr David Fothergill, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: ‘NHS pay rises cannot and should not be an additional burden on already pressured council public health budgets.
‘Public health services, such as for sexual health or school nurses, are crucial in helping to relieve the pressure on our health and care system but these unfunded pay increases mean they could face an uncertain future.’
In the last 10 years, funding for council-commissioned sexual health services has dropped by 17% in real terms, with the number of visitors to clinics having increased by 36% during the same period. Similarly, the number of community health visitors has fallen by nearly 40% due to a combination of funding reductions and recruitment issues.
Cllr Fothergill continued: ‘Vital public health services run by local councils cannot continue to maximise their role at the heart of communities while continually having to make budget cuts or manage uncosted new burdens.
‘To ensure our vital services can continue supporting those in our communities who need it the most, the Government should fund new NHS pay rises in full.’
