A £200 million funding package is set to benefit public health services, and is set to boost addiction recovery services, sexual health clinics, and local nurses, among other incentives.
Announced today (7th February), the investment is part of the government’s plan to shift healthcare away from secondary care and into the community, in a move to take pressure off of emergency services and hospitals. This is a key factor of the government’s Plan for Change.
This new funding will power essential services such as smoking cessation programmes, addiction recovery, family and school nurses, sexual health clinics, local health protection services and public health support for local NHS services. This investment is the biggest real-terms increase in spending after nearly a decade of austerity and budget cuts from 2016-2024.
Funding for public health grants will be increased by a 5.4 per cent in cash (three per cent in real terms) compared to last year’s funding. This investment will focus on prevention and community care, building stronger, healthier communities more resistant to illness nationwide.
Minister for public health and prevention, Andrews Gwynne, said: “Lord Darzi’s investigation into the NHS has found that children are sicker today than a decade ago, and adults are falling into ill-health earlier in life.
“Prevention is better than cure. If we can reach people earlier and help them stay healthy, this extra investment will pay for itself several times over in reduced demand on the NHS and by keeping people in work.
“Whether it’s supporting people to quit smoking, giving children a healthy start to life, or providing addiction recovery services, this investment as part of the government’s Plan for Change will make a real difference in communities across the country.
“After a decade of cuts to public health, this government is committed to shifting the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention, and we’re putting our money where our mouth is.”
Responding to the announcement of the 2025/26 public health grant for councils, Cllr David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board said: “We are pleased the Government has increased the public health grant for councils, acting on our concerns over the significant funding pressures public health teams have been under to maintain vital services such as sexual health services, smoking cessation programmes and drug treatment. It is important this marks a reset which sees government work in partnership with councils.
“Investing in public health is key to bridging the health inequality gap, improving population health and preventing ill-health, reducing the pressure on social care and the NHS.
“As public health teams continue to face increasing demand, we are calling on the Government in the Spending Review to set out a long-term sustainable funding plan for public health, which will give councils the long-term certainty they need to plan services that meet the needs of their communities.”
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