The Department of Health intends to reserve a key role for local public health teams in providing public health expertise to CCGs, using a regulation-making power in the Health & Social Care Bill. Subject to Parliament, local authorities will from April 2013 have a duty to provide a core service of specialist public health expertise and advice to NHS commissioners.
CCGs 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.
This draft guidance aims to help commissioners with local planning in this transition year and provides some very useful examples of local arrangements.