local authority part 5-Well being

Local Government provides a variety of services many of which contribute to the health and well being of people living in an area. The first service people think about is community care and if local authorities are unable to provide timely social care packages for those leaving hospital then bed blocking will occur. Also if Local Authorities do not intervene with home care provision soon enough then that will inevitably increase the risk of hospitalisation. As budgets become stretched then slowing down assessment and the production of a care package for hospital discharge could be the only way of staying within budget.

In order for some people to be discharged from hospital then adaptations to their homes are needed and the disability facilities grant (DFG) is managed and funded by local authorities and if there is insufficient funding available for the work to be done then the patient often cannot be released from hospital despite having no medical need to stay there.

Environmental health workers check food safety in premises where food is prepared but if there are less of them then obviously visits will take place less often and the chance of food poisoning such as salmonella will increase.

Of course all the above are statutory services but if they are fully protected then the discretionary services would be hit disproportionately hard and this could lead to substantial reductions in their budgets.

Councils can reduce expenditure on road maintenance and street lighting but doing so increases the chance of accidents occurring and will add to the pressure on accident and emergency departments.

In a country where lack of exercise and the associated lack of fitness and with growing obesity the last thing that the health of the nation needs is the closure of leisure facilities or a huge increase in their cost. Local authority run leisure centres and swimming pools provide an opportunity for people to engage in exercise for a reasonable cost. It will not improve health and fitness if they are either closed or prices are increased to such an extent that they exclude a large proportion of the public.

The Welsh Government funding for free swimming in Wales for children and young people aged 16 and under during all school holidays and at the weekends and for people aged 60 and over outside school holidays has been very well received and is an excellent means of increasing fitness but it will not work if swimming pools have to be closed in order to balance budgets.

There are of course efficiency savings and invest to save opportunities such as more 3g and 4g pitches to allow greater use of sports pitches. Local Authorities should be looking to use either the Welsh Government’s invest to save or their own reserves in order to reduce on going expenditure by investing to save. There are also efficiencies to be gained in local authority collaboration especially in back office functions such as payroll. Also whilst in many areas of local government collaboration is a good thing in terms of improved services it may not provide savings. I remain unconvinced that if budgets are cut substantially then discretionary leisure expenditure will not face a major cut-back.

Health is not only about treating the ill and injured but about prevention and Local Government provide a large number of preventative services. Large cuts in local government expenditure and a reduced provision of services could damage the overall health of the nation. We must remember that to keep Wales healthy Local Government has a major role to play.