Commissioning local breastfeeding support services

This DH commissioning guidance aims to assist commissioners and primary care trusts (PCTs) in providing coherent services that will promote breastfeeding and reduce inequalities, as set out in Healthy Lives, Brighter Futures: the strategy for children and young people’s health (Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health, 2009, para 3.43), and to work with local Children’s Trust partners in delivering Public Service Agreement (PSA) 12.

It aims to: consolidate the case for breastfeeding care and support as an integral part of local strategies to improve child health and reduce health inequalities; signpost commissioners to sources of policy, practice and evidence; and set out some key considerations in relation to World Class Commissioning competencies within the three phases of the commissioning cycle.

It is recognised that commissioners will be operating in varied contexts - some will already have well-developed joint commissioning and Children’s Trust arrangements in place, while others will be at different stages of development.

Published October 2009, 58 pages

Health Inequalities Intervention Tools

To support Primary Care Trusts and local authorities, the Association of Public Health Observatories and Department of Health have developed the Health Inequalities Intervention Tools. These tools are designed to support evidence-based local service planning and commissioning, including Joint Strategic Needs Assessments.

Other documents and conferences

1. WCC Data Packs coming soon
2. Reviews published on primary care information for the public
3. Tackling health inequalities: targeting routine and manual smokers in support of the Public Service Agreement smoking prevalence and health inequality targets
4. Review of NHS dental services in England
5. Recognising complexity: commissioning guidance for personality disorder services

Other Documents

Tackling health inequalities: 10 years on

Government Response to The Health Select Committee Report on Health Inequalities

Health Select Committee Report on Health Inequalities

In February the Health Select Committee published the report of its inquiry into health inequalities. It focuses on the difficulties in evaluating policies put in place by the Government to tackle health inequalities.

Published February 2009

Reducing health inequalities for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people - briefings for health and social care staff

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people experience a number of health inequalities which are often unrecognised in health and social care settings. These briefings are intended to show that LGBT people can be younger, older, bisexual, lesbians, gay men, trans, from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities and disabled, and to dispel assumptions that they form a homogeneous group.

The briefings provide easy-to-read guidance for health and social care commissioners, service planners and frontline staff. They aim to inform the delivery of appropriate services and to support health and social care professionals in their everyday work with LGBT people by providing fundamental awareness and evidence of LGBT needs in relation to health.

(Published September 2007, 13 Briefings)

Health Inequalities Intervention Tool

The Health Inequalities Intervention Tool is designed to support Spearhead Primary Care Trusts with their Local Delivery Planning and commissioning. It is designed to help achieve the Department of Health (DH) Public Service Agreement (PSA) target for life expectancy.

The DH PSA target on life expectancy aims to 'by 2010 reduce by at least 10% the gap between the Spearhead areas and the population as a whole'. This tool provides information on the following:

• Life expectancy in Spearhead local authorities
• The gap in life expectancy between the Spearhead local authorities and England
• A breakdown of the causes of the life expectancy gap by disease type and age

(Published 05/01/07)