The Department has today issued draft guidance on the healthcare public health advice - also known as the ‘core offer’ - that is aimed at helping commissioners with local planning in this transition year.
Subject to the Health and Social Care Bill, from 2013-14, clinical commissioning groups will have access to public health advice, information and expertise in relation to the healthcare services that they commission, provided by local public health teams based in local authorities.
The intention is to make it a mandatory requirement for local authorities, from April 2013, to provide this service to clinical commissioning groups, but the detail of the arrangements will need to be planned locally.
The core offer follows on from the Healthy Lives, Healthy People White Paper consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health.
The draft guidance has been sent to Directors of Public Health and Clinical Commisioning Group leads, together with a request for comments to be received by 30 March to help refine the guidance.