‘PUBLIC HEALTH MUST BE PROTECTED’ – UNISON FIGHTS FOR JOBS AND SERVICES
It is with mounting alarm that Brighton & Hove UNISON has been following events around proposed cuts to public health services and its workforce; cuts now confirmed in the latest budget papers from the city council. The majority of the workforce affected by these cuts, are our members and we have been urgently raising concerns with the council leadership about the impacts of these cuts and the way they are being taken forward.
UNISON agrees with the issues that Cllr Tristram Burden raised at last week’s ‘People’ Scrutiny Committee, including that the proposed changes are being pushed through too quickly and without the time to truly measure the potential impact on the health and wellbeing of Brighton and Hove residents or work through the proposals in detail. There is also a lack of clarity about how money reallocated to other services will deliver public health outcomes.
The council has reiterated its commitment to prevention, and reducing inequality through Public Health services and mechanisms, but the cuts it proposes to take, particularly if it sees through a 12-14% cut in the workforce, could put this work at serious risk:
“From public health intelligence, commissioning and popular delivery programmes such as Health Trainers, Healthwalks and Active for Live, Public Health directly or indirectly affects the health outcomes of thousands of residents. The breadth and pace of the suggested cuts could have a serious impact on this, and it is imperative that enough time is given to truly research and understand these potential impacts, properly scrutinise and risk assess them and make sure that rushed decisions do not lead to greater costs, harms and liabilities down the line.” (Corinna Edwards-Colledge and Diana Leach, Joint Branch Secretaries)
Despite a recent government grant funding increase to public health in the city of £1.2m only around £300k of this extra money has been redirected to reduce cuts to jobs and services with the rest swallowed up by the drive to meet the full budget savings within the financial year. This is another sign of a rushed process that potentially puts delivering cuts before the safety and wellbeing of the city’s residents.
UNISON is also concerned about the potential impact on the city’s readiness if it were to face another pandemic. During the Covid pandemic, and alongside the disease control and strategic lead role public health professionals played, frontline public health workers also adapted to help the city’s get through one of its most challenging times. Active for Life delivered 10 weekly online physical activity sessions within two weeks of lockdown and virtual school games worked with 35 schools helping kids stay active while stuck at home. Vital test and trace services and mental health support were also delivered by members of the Health Trainer team. All of this points to the need of maintaining a skilled public health workforce as an essential component to delivering an effective response in times of crisis.
Fundamentally we question whether these cuts will save money in both the short, medium and long-term. Research suggests for every £1 spent on public health interventions, there is a return on investment of £14.3 as well as saving future costs by keeping people healthier for longer. Cuts to Public Health also have the potential to put more pressure on other sectors and services such as social care, mental health teams, carers, homelessness prevention and substance misuse services.
The cuts are due to be voted through this Thursday, 27/02/2025 so If you share our concerns contact your councillor now - time is running out: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/councillors-and-committees/contact-your-councillor