iHV is delighted to publish its response to the Prevention Green Paper: Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s.
We have provided a response to the online consultation. In addition, we have made some further points which we believe will strengthen the positive proposals in the Green Paper to give every child the best start in life – and sent via letter to the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP.
Overall, we welcome the government’s commitments outlined in the Green Paper. In particular, its desire to put prevention at the centre of all decision-making, with a focus on the importance of investing in our health throughout life – starting in the early years.
Investing in the earliest years saves money in the long run and, more importantly, ensures that every child is supported to achieve the best start in life with foundations for good health throughout the life-course. As inevitable from a Green Paper, it lacks the detail needed to determine whether the ambitions will be supported by a real funding uplift and the workforce support required to implement the recommendations in full. We are hopeful that this will be addressed in the stated commitment that national and local government will work together to ensure the plans succeed.