Cuts to public health budget will be a huge disaster

SURELY if the events of the past 18 months have taught us anything, it’s the importance of a wellfunctioning health system.

Sadly, it often feels like someone forgot to tell the government as it reduces funding to local authorities.

Despite their criticism of certain aspects of ‘gesture politics’ when it suited their broader agenda, senior Conservatives were more than happy to embrace the weekly claps for the NHS and those in caring jobs.

But as we now know, clapping for the health sector was about as much as they were willing to do.

This latest announcement that Hampshire County Council is looking looking to cut £7m from its public health budget is terrible news.

Any budget cuts will inevitably bring reduced services and cries of protest, and these cuts look like they will be devastating. Services for soon-to-be and new parents, as well as children and families will be among those to bear the brunt of these swingeing cuts.

It is those among the most vulnerable in society who will be most affected.

As Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives notes, this is sadly not a problem specific to Hampshire. They are, as part of a consortium of concerned organisations, calling for public health work with children and families to be prioritised.

Any cuts to one sector will necessarily have a knock-on effect elsewhere – and so the system as a whole becomes increasingly stressed and stretched. No parts of our health service operates in isolation.

While we await for full inquiry to the government’s handling of the pandemic, it would be interesting to learn exactly how many hundreds of millions of pounds have been squandered on dubious contracts while we see the impact of slashed budgets on the ground.