Health Quango Cuts and HIV
posted: 27/07/2010
Eighteen health quangos will be cut to between eight and 10 over the next four years. The Health Protection Agency (HPA), which deals with HIV and infectious diseases, is one that will disappear within the next two years.
The Health Secretary Andrew Lansley justifies the quango cuts on the grounds that it would produce savings of more than £180m over the next four years by streamlining their functions and cutting their bureaucracy. Although the Department of Health's overall budget is being "ring-fenced", the growing demands on the NHS each year mean that significant savings need to be found.
Expert Criticism
Experts in infectious diseases criticised the plan to abolish the HPA as a statutory organisation and transfer its functions to the Secretary of State’s new Public Health Service. "It's a very bad idea because the HPA is an absolutely essential national resource," said Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at Aberdeen University. "There is no merit in making changes to the HPA other than those that strengthen it. It's quasi-independent and a degree of separation between it and the rest of government gives it more scientific freedom and independence," Professor Pennington said.
The HPA plays an important role in monitoring and preventing HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in the UK. At the recent International Conference in Vienna it presented important research results and recommendations. Transfering its work to the Secretary of State’s new Public Health Service means its valuable independence disappears.
NAT concern
Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust) wrote to the Independent to say "We read with concern of the Government's plans to abolish the Health Protection Agency and merge it within a new Public Health Service directly accountable to the Secretary of State. As the UK's HIV policy organisation, for years we have benefited from the HPA's surveillance of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. This information is vital in assessing the needs of the population and allowing effective targeting of resources, more important than ever in the present climate. We call on the Government to promise that public health surveillance and analysis will remain independent of ministerial interference to ensure impartiality, and that there is no deterioration in the quality and scope of the HPA's key public health functions, so essential to an evidence-based response to HIV."
The HPA in the Department's Quango Review
Here is what the Department of Health Review reports says about abolishing the HPA and setting up a Public Health Service within the Department of Health under the Secretary of State.
"3.42 We propose to support the cross-government public health strategy through the creation of a new Public Health Service directly accountable to the Secretary of State, to integrate and streamline existing health improvement and protection bodies and functions, with an increased emphasis on research, analysis and evaluation. As a part of that development we intend to abolish the Health Protection Agency and the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse as statutory organisations and transfer their functions to the Secretary of State as part of the Public Health Service.
[3.43 a paragraph about absorbing the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse into the Public Health Service.]
3.44 Our programme for public health will be set out later this year and more detail on what it means for these two organisations, and dedicated public health ring-fenced funding to support delivery of local services, will be set out in the context of the new Public Health Service. We will engage with the Health Protection Agency and the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse to ensure a smooth and orderly transition.
....
Legislative Changes
5.7 Many of the changes outlined in this document will require primary and secondary legislation. The Queen’s speech included a major Health Bill and a Public Bodies Bill for the first legislative programme. The Government will introduce these bills this autumn and the changes, where appropriate, will be enacted through one of these bills: our intention is that the majority of changes will be in place during 2012/13.
.....
The Public Health Service will in place by April 2012. (Annex C)"
NAT letter of concern to The Independent
DH Arms Length Body Review report
Source
Department of Health press release
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