A new report from the NHS Confederation has suggested that the government can achieve its goal of increasing the impact of health prevention, if it improves the way that investment is targeted.
With the potential to deliver an extra £11 billion worth of annual return on investment, further benefits were identified through the report, with these including making adaptations to homes where falls could occur, improving suicide and self-harm prevention, and adapting homes that could force residents to need treatment thanks to the cold.
Another intervention that promised to bring significant returns on investment was to follow the lead that Birmingham City Council took as it decided to provide its residents with free leisure services.
Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, said:
“As our recent State of Integrated Care report shows, health and care leaders are committed to the government’s plans to shift more care out of hospitals but are concerned that a lack of long-term investment and planning is holding them back. The current financial situation the NHS is facing means our members are having to prioritise short-term funding and performance over the long-term changes they know are necessary to put the NHS on a sustainable footing.
“So it is poignant that this new report sets out yet more evidence that investing in prevention is not just good for patients and improving public health, but also the economy. It is clear that an initial investment in preventative schemes can pay back dividends for people’s health and the economy.
“Supporting people to stay healthy and preventing illness is a vital part of boosting the economy, with economic inactivity in the UK having risen by 900,000 since 2020 – much of this due to those who are long-term sick.
“Our members have welcomed the government’s pledged to transfer more care into primary and community services as well as to shift from treating sickness to preventing sickness. This is not just about improving NHS performance but will require a whole-government approach because only 20% of our health is determined by healthcare, with the remaining 80% affected by wider determinants.
“What we want to see is cross-government co-operation, collaboration and investment on health policy, recognising that most policy that impacts people’s health is made outside the NHS.”
Alongside the findings of the report that promote improved return on investment when it comes to prevention, the report also recommends three steps for national government, local partners, and integrated care systems to take:
- Invest more in prevention, especially where it is going to have the most impact
- Take an evidence-based approach to commissioning services
- Use data to systematically evaluate and benchmark interventions
The Local Government Association has responded to the report with Chair of the Community Wellbeing Board, Cllr David Fothergill, commenting:
"NHS leaders are right to recognise the vital role councils – working with people and partners – can play to address the wider determinants of health, through their role in public health, care and support, housing, green spaces, youth services, and the local economy.
"However, with resources under intense pressure, council spending is increasingly used to meet growing demand and cost pressures in acute, frontline services. This is leaving less and less for the preventative support that helps people live independent, healthy lives, boost life chances, prevent homelessness and help people avoid reaching crisis point.
"Ahead of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review, we have called on government to invest in the public health grant and other vital areas of prevention, such as supported housing and health visiting. This must be part of a new long-term approach to funding prevention and early action support, and a more sophisticated understanding of the social return of that investment.
“Councils know how to maximise funding by partnering locally to create effective, preventative health services. With proper funding, prevention can become a core part of health and care and not a luxury extra when budgets allow.”
Image credit: iStock
