Public health re-energised: what the new White Paper will mean

The Coalition Government has set out its intended strategy for public health in England in the White Paper "Healthy Lives, Healthy People" (November 2010). This aims to tackle high levels of "lifestyle" health problems such as obesity, alcohol misuse and smoking, and to reduce health inequalities. Policies will be evidence-based and the emphasis will be on outcomes rather than targets. The focus will be local and will include wider dimensions of public health such as tobacco control and transport. Mental health will have greater prominence. Local government will play a major part, with Directors of Public Health and public health budgets transferring from Primary Care Trusts to Local Authorities. Public health funding will be ring-fenced. A dedicated public health service, Public Health England, will be established in the Department of Health, to provide disease control and support local innovation. There will be greater investment in the early years of life, and an increase in health visitor numbers and Family Nurse Partnerships. The public health role of school nurses is likely to increase under a forthcoming review of school nursing.