From Ann Wills

George Pinnell gives below official details of the recent legislative proposals for fluoridation. Keep scrolling down. Thank you George for doing this.  Ann.  

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From: George Pinnell. 

Sent: 20 February 2021

Dear All,

Searching on the above reference should take you to the full document. The Department of Health & Social Care's legislative proposals for a Health and Care Bill CP 381 Published 11 February 2021. 2.3 Integration and Innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care by Command.

I have extracted the specific references to fluoridation for ease of reference to make it easier for you to lobby your MP & local councils with the relevant information.

Good luck. George.

 

These legislative measures are intended to support improvements already under way in the NHS. They should be seen in the context of those broader reforms. And they are by no means the full extent of this government’s ambition for the nation’s health. We will also bring forward changes in social care, public health and mental health. We also remain committed to the sustainable improvement of adult social care and will bring forward proposals this year. The targeted public health interventions we have outlined here in relation to obesity and fluoridation, sit alongside our proposals for the future design of the public health system, including the creation of the National Institute for Health Protection (NIHP). We are also bringing forward legislation to bring the Mental Health Act up to date, as set out in our white paper last month.

For public health, alongside the population health element of our ‘triple aim’, we intend to bring forward measures to: make it easier to secure rapid change updates in NHS England public health functions; help tackle obesity by introducing further restrictions on the advertising of high fat, salt and sugar foods; as well as a new power for Ministers to alter certain food labelling requirements. In addition, we will be streamlining the process for the fluoridation of water in England by moving responsibilities for doing so from local authorities to central government.

Additional proposals – public health:

1.    Public Health power of direction

2.    Obesity

3.    Fluoridation

On public health we will bring forward measures to: make it easier for the Secretary of State to direct NHS England to take on specific public health functions ; help tackle obesity by introducing further restrictions on the advertising of high fat, salt and sugar foods; as well as a new power for ministers to alter certain food labelling requirements. This will ensure consumers can be supported to make more informed, healthier choices about their food and drink purchases. In addition, we will be streamlining the process for the fluoridation of water in England by moving the responsibilities for doing so, including consultation responsibilities, from local authorities to central government. These public health measures will complement and augment the efforts of ICSs to make real inroads in improving population health in their areas, helping to tackle inequalities and ‘level-up’ across communities.

Public health

1.    Public Health power of direction

2.    Obesity

3.    Fluoridation

Fluoride is a naturally occurring substance that has been shown to improve oral health. We will work to streamline the process for initiating proposals for new schemes for fluoridation of water in England by moving the responsibilities for doing so from local authorities to central government.

Water fluoridation

Water Fluoridation is clinically proven to improve oral health and reduce oral health inequalities. It has a protective effect which reduces the impact of a high sugar diet or poor oral hygiene. Around 10% of the population of England currently receive fluoridated water. In the most deprived areas fluoridation of water has been shown to reduce tooth decay in 5-year olds by a third.

Since 2013, local authorities have had the power to propose, and consult on, new fluoridation schemes, variations to existing schemes, and to terminate existing schemes. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has responsibility for approving any proposals submitted by local authorities. Local authorities have reported several difficulties with this process including the fact that local authority boundaries are not co-terminous with water flows, which requires the involvement of several authorities in these schemes, in a way which is complex and burdensome. In addition, local authorities are responsible for the oversight of revenue and costs associated with new proposals, including feasibility studies and consultations, while having no direct financial benefit from any gains in oral health.

In light of these challenges, we are proposing to give Secretary of State for Health and Social Care the power to directly introduce, vary or terminate water fluoridation schemes. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care already has the existing power to decide on whether proposals for water fluoridation should be approved and responsibility for the administration of schemes.

This removes the burden from local authorities and will allow the Department of Health and Social Care to streamline processes and take responsibility for proposing any new fluoridation schemes, which will continue to be subject to public consultation. Central government will also become responsible for the associated work, such as the cost of consultations, feasibility studies, and the capital and revenue costs associated with any new and existing schemes.

As is the case now, once a scheme is agreed, the agreements held with the water companies will continue to be held centrally.