Oral - Unified Public Health Organisation Consultation

I am grateful for this opportunity to report on the findings arising from the consultation on the unification of public health services, which closed on 24 April. At that date, 125 responses had been received, all of which have been published in full. They came from a wide range of organisations and representative bodies with an interest in public health services in Wales, and all services that were proposed to be part of the new unified public health organisation responded to the consultation.

I have taken the opportunity to read each of these responses over recent weeks and, as a result, I am able to confirm my intention to proceed, subject to legal orders and regulations, to establish the new unified public health organisation as an NHS trust to be known as Public Health Wales—in shadow form from 1 August 2009, and fully operational from 1 October 2009.

I am also able to confirm that, following a public appointments process, Professor Mansel Aylward has been appointed to the role of chair of Public Health Wales. I attach great importance to the appointment of chairs, who are chosen for their skills, experience and for the contribution they can make to the work of the national health service in Wales. I am confident that Professor Aylward has the necessary abilities to take on this challenging but most worthwhile public service. He will be considered as chair-designate until Public Health Wales is established on 1 August 2009.

Public Health Wales will incorporate the functions and services provided by the National Public Health Service; the Wales Centre for Health; the Wales Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit; the Congenital Anomaly Register and Information Service; and Screening Services Wales. Many respondents expressed reservations about the inclusion of the Welsh Blood Service in the new organisation, as there appears to be little synergy between the provision of blood services and the public health services. I have therefore concluded that it would be better if the Welsh Blood Service remains with Velindre NHS Trust.

Public Health Wales will build upon the success of its constituent services, and will provide the national resources for effective delivery of public health services at national, local and community level. As part of the national public health system in Wales, I have already announced that there will be an officer member with responsibility for public health in each of the seven local health boards; although they will be employed by the LHB, they will be an integral part of the public health system in Wales.

I have emphasised the need to strengthen partnerships with local authorities to support their statutory duties, and to improve the delivery of public health services at local and community levels. I have asked the chair-designate of public health Wales to liaise with the chief executives of the new LHBs to develop robust working arrangements for local public health delivery, and to support and work with the new directors of public health in the LHBs, and with their respective local authorities.

Health, social care and wellbeing strategies, and children and young people’s plans, remain a joint statutory duty of the LHBs and the local authorities. Public Health Wales will assist both the LHBs and local authorities to develop these, building on existing partnerships. They will also work with local service boards to bring public health to the citizen and to the community. Just as the new organisation will work closely with local government so, too, the importance of the third sector was regularly emphasised in consultation. The third sector contribution is important because it reflects not only the diversity of Wales as a nation, but also the unifying support for the national health service, which is found in every part of our country.

In order to deliver its remit, Public Health Wales will benefit from having its own board comprising seven non-executive directors, including the chair, and five executive directors. The board will include non-executive directors with experience of local government, trade unions, the third sector and Welsh universities. These are all important to the development and delivery of public health, and will bring their perspectives, ideas and concerns to the board. There will also be two independent non-executive directors who will ensure that the needs of the ordinary person are factored into the decision making by the board.

Turning to the roles of the executive directors, respondents pointed out that Public Health Wales will have a wide remit and that it would make for a more effective board if the chair and non-executive directors had greater freedom to determine their roles. I have concluded therefore that, in addition to the chief executive officer and a director of finance, the roles of the remaining three executive directors will be at the discretion of the board.

I am grateful to all those who responded to the consultation, and wrote to me with their views. Once again, this exercise has been a great success and a testimony to the spirit of dialogue and engagement which has been at the heart of these reforms. We must now press ahead with the action needed to make this a reality. To make these changes, I intend to sign the legal orders and lay the regulations before you by 9 June.