When will Public Health England carry out a safety quality assurance check on Health Intelligence's contract in Greater Manchester?

SAVE BOLTON HEALTH SERVICES

* Protection against a pandemic like Covid 19 is a priority, yes?

* The Government has announced it is setting up the `Institute of Health Protection` effective from next week.

* Did you know the Government HAD just such an agency in 2012 – the Health Protection Agency` which was abolished in Andrew Lansley`s Health and Social Care Act 2012?

* The Health Protection Agency ` provided an integrated approach to infection control with support and advice to the NHS/Local Authorities/Emergency Services` . It also had regional labs and 37 NHS labs it was linked to for testing.( Wikipedia)

* In 2013 health protection passed from the Health Protection Agancy and became the duty of the Secretary of State for Health currently Matt Hancock, and the agency was abolished.

 
* His duties include ` preparing and responding to public health emergencies`.
* `The Public Health System has fallen short in this pandemic` says the Spectator ( 7.5.20)
* Only 2% of the Public Health England budget was ear-marked for health protection. ( Spectator)
* Matt Hancock and all previous Health Secretaries under successive Conservative Governments since 2012 have had responsibility for `preparing for and responding to public health emergencies.`
* The lack of a dedicated adequately funded public health resource when the pandemic hit is directly due to the changes introduced by the Andrew Lansley Act of 2012.
* We have come full circle: from the Health Protection Agency of 2012 to the Institute for Health Protection of this week, responsibility for health protection moves out of the hands of the Secretary of State back to a specialist agency again?
* The Government must be held responsible and not scapegoat Public Health England when the design and funding of PHE is their own plan under Lansleys Act.
* A big worry however: the Lansley Act `s centralisation of Public Health Protection into the hands of the Secretary of State has allowed the Government to outsource track and trace and PPE to private contractors at massive cost to the taxpayers.
* We understand the cost of employing contractors and management consultants is running into billions of pounds and the track and trace service has been unsatisfactory.
* Nevertheless we note with dismay the employment of people without qualifications in Public Health such as Dido Harding (and her link to the government as a Conservative Baroness in the Lords,) in the new Institute for Health Protection
* We note that Serco, who won a contract for track and trace as part of the privatised response to the pandemic , sponsored an event at last year`s Conservative Party Conference.
* Responsibiity for the problems of the response to a serious pandemic must be correctly assigned and widely published and the lack of experience and qualifications of managers of the new Institute
should be questioned as should the links between the Conservative Party, and contractors employed and managers appointed during this pandemic .