Local health boards should be involved in all council decisions that concern public wellbeing, a thinktank has stated.
A report by the New Local Government Network (NLGN) has stated the health boards should also be given extended legal powers which allow them to have a say in decisions made by council departments, reports the Local Government Chronicle.
The thinktank believes that these changes are necessary for the country and it will meaning that housing and planning departments would have a legal obligation to include the wellbeing board should any issue have a bearing on public health.
Daria Kuznetsova, author of the report, told LGC: "The health and wellbeing board should be able to come into the council departments, engage with their conversations and persuade them to do things differently if this would be better for the health of the population."
Under the Health and Social Care Act the government aims to give more power to local GPs over their surgeries and the NLGN believes that this move could help to benefit local health boards.
Legal powers should be given to local health boards
15 May 2012
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