I have just read in the Daily Post “GPs are being banned from referring patients for hospital treatment by cash-strapped Primary Care Trusts attempting to balance their books.” Doesn’t come as too much of a surprise – last week a Department of Health report forecast a gross deficit for 2006-07 of £1.32 billion and 35% of NHS organizations are forecasting deficits – what a mess!
£450 million has already been cut from training and Public Health budgets – shocking when you think that only two per cent of the health budget is devoted to health promotion (half of that in Germany) – particularly at a time with growing obesity levels, rising incidence of sexually transmitted disease and the resurgence of TB.
Public Health budgets should be kept independent from the PCTs – to reduce the temptation of raiding these vital funds to balance the books.
Public Health is important – prevention is better (and more cost effective!) than cure.
