Written evidence to be reported to the House
Health and Social Care Bill
12:00 pm
Dr. Troop: There have been some things. For example, we have been clarifying the roles and relationships for port health, where they have responsibilities, such as monitoring food that is coming in. As an agency, we have taken an overview of the public health responsibilities and the medical inspection areas, trying to get standardised approaches across the country for port health. So there has been some realignment of thinking there.
In other areas, on the ground, our practitioners, the NHS and the local authorities work very closely together because there are overlapping responsibilities; for example, regarding food premises. So we work at a national level with the Food Standards Agency and at a local level with the local authorities. They have an environmental health responsibility; we would give advice on contaminated land. So again, there are overlapping responsibilities, and the key thing is that many of our staff remain as proper officers for local authorities, but then local partnerships bring out those different responsibilities.
Also, as an agency, we do not have statutory responsibilities. We cannot take that kind of power, and broadly, we are the ones who give the professional advice to those who do have those powers; that happens across almost everything that we do and it maintains that kind of effective relationship. Graham is the one who works particularly within a region; have you felt that there any such areas?