Consensus Statement on Sustainable Funding for Public Health

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) has joined a new Consensus Statement calling on the Government to urgently increase investment in public health services.The Consensus Statement has received overwhelming support from a wide range of public health stakeholders, with over 80 leading organisations signing up to this vital call to action. The Statement has been launched in recognition of the funding crisis facing public health services. In the 2015 Budget, the Chancellor announced a £200 million in-year cut to the Public Health Grant, followed by a further real-terms cut averaging 3.9% each year (until 2020/21) in the 2015 Spending Review. Overall, the Public Health Grant is expecting to see a £700 million real terms reduction between 2014/15 and 2019/20—a fall of almost a quarter (23.5%) per person. In 2019/20, every local authority has less to spend on public health than the year before. According to analysis by the Health Foundation, almost all local authority public health services faced cuts between 2014/15 and 2019/20: for example, spending on stop smoking services and tobacco control are expected to fall by 45%; sexual health spending is expected to fall by 25% and specialist drug and alcohol services for young people is expected to be cut by over 41%.In light of these alarming figures, BASHH and other stakeholders urge the Government to reverse this trend and increasing investment in public health in England as a priority.To read the Consensus Statement in full click here.