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Dept of Health

Answer

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in promoting co-operation between health and local authorities through public health units. [153482] Yvette Cooper: The NHS plan gave a commitment to new single integrated public health groups across national health service regional offices and Government offices for the regions by 2002. There is also co-operation through the work of regional public health observatories. The Department is currently considering future roles and structures within the health system in the light of the progressive introduction of primary care trusts. This work is being taken forward in the context of developing relationships between health and local authority partners. Statutory duties of partnership between health bodies and the promotion of health and wellbeing for local populations have been introduced. In the meantime the promotion of co-operation between health and local authority partners has been underpinned by the work of the health improvement programmes development group. The group has been working to develop and re-position health improvement programmes to ensure they are strategic, best placed to implement the NHS plan, aligned to community strategies and supportive of local strategic partnerships.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

365 c99-100W; 153482

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Care trusts Health authorities Local government Primary care Primary care trusts Social services Health improvement programmes

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk