Healthy Lives, Healthy People: public health white paper consultation

An opportunity for voluntary organisations, community groups, user-led organisations, patient forums, etc, to influence the shape of public health policy in the future.

Public health is about the social and environmental factors that impact on our daily lives and which end up causing inequalities in our physical and mental health and wellbeing. It’s about the houses we live in, having a job and being able to get to work, the food we eat, whether people smoke around us, whether we get fresh air and exercise, whether we feel safe walking through our neighbourhoods ... these factors are largely under the control of the local council, especially in poorer, disadvantaged communities. The primary responsibility for public health is being taken away from the Health Service and given back to local authorities with ring fenced budgets. The process begins this year, with full implementation by April 2013.

RAWM is holding a DH-funded consultation session on the white paper on Wednesday 9th March. The event will help delegates understand how the White Paper will impact on their work and the opportunities it presents. It will:

• Be a key opportunity for engaging with the statutory sector in relation to public health
• Raise awareness of the changes proposed in the White Paper and help you to develop an informed response to the consultations
• Inform delegates about how the public health landscape is changing locally, in the region and across England
• Identify some of the cross cutting issues of particular relevance to the voluntary and community sector
• Be an opportunity to promote the role of the voluntary and community sector in the new public health landscape.